Yu-Gi-Oh Advanced - Birth of Synchro
by Architectural Oshawott
Summary: Set between GX and 5D, Dueling Academy awaits all those who possess the talents and virtues of a great Duelist. Ethan Hatway, a 15 Year Old resident of Dueling capital Domino City, hopes to join this privileged and limited Group. Blessed with his Father's Deck, can he rise above the odds and become a Dueling Champion...and what challenges lie in store for the unsuspecting Duelist?
1. Chapter 1

The onslaught sent him spiraling to his knees, even though it's attack was negated.  
Such power!  
The Duelist regretted his bold wager, faced with losing a Family Heirloom, his Deck. It had taken Three generations in order to perfect these Cards, they simply could _not _fall into _his _hands!

"Face it, Desmond. You're never going to win."

Kaiba stood before his battered opponent, his expression confident, quietly contemplating victory. The deserted Stadium, once housing the Dueling State Tournament, surrounded both duelists, ensuring no one else could witness it's chain of events. Stadium lights bathed the arena in piercing, artificial light, casting Kaiba's shadow directly towards his foe.  
A deliberate ploy, perhaps, to remind him that he would never exceed Kaiba's shadow.  
Desmond caught his breath, recovering. He forced himself to rise, standing on his own two feet once again, eyeing the Duelist Champion with nothing short of anger. And Determination.

"Let your cards do the talking. I've heard enough from your tongue."

"Yet my cards _are _doing the talking, Mr. Hatway, take a look for yourself."

It was hard to argue against such a convincing display, playing out before the weary challenger.

Desmond's field was empty, save for the solitary face-down Trap Card he had placed one turn prior, the Trap Card which successfully managed to keep him in this duel for one more turn.  
Scrap-Iron Scarecrow.  
Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, all 4500 attack points of it, towered over both combatants, each of it's three heads snarling in utter defiance, as if their unified wish was to tear the challenger's head clean off, just waiting for it's next move.

"It's your move, Desmond. If I were you, I'd make it count."

He drew, initiating his turn, hoping, praying, that he would draw something, anything, to combat the Monster before him.

He had.

"I activate, Lightning vortex!"

Kaiba, poised perfectly until this point, stepped back involuntarily, his face etched in surprise.

"How _dare _you!"

Desmond continued, un-dettered.

"By discarding one card from my hand, I get to destroy all monsters you currently control, but seeing as you only have a hold of one, I guess Blue-Eyes here is facing the Graveyard alone, but you knew that."

From nowhere, virtual lightning struck within the Stadium, burning even more brilliantly than it's lights, flashing their battlefield in multiple split-second intervals. One particular bolt, much to Desmond's relief, cast itself upon Kaiba's ultimate Monster, instantly disintegrating it to oblivion. It's owner, now venerable, fought internally to scream, judging by the shell-shocked expression he currently wore. The inevitable sacrifice for his Opponent, however, needed to be fulfilled, and the Duelist placed his Monster Card within the area destined for the Graveyard, sliding within his Duel-Disk.

All part of the plan.

"Next, I play two spell cards, 'The Warrior Returning Alive'!"

A pair of Spell Cards flickered into existence, exact copies of each other, their effects reflecting this.

"With these cards, I can return one Warrior-Type Monster from my Graveyard directly to my hand, each!"

A sudden sense of relief radiated through the Duelist as his precious Cards returned from within his Duel-Disk, the pair promising similar oaths of destruction once played.

Only one more thing left to do.

"Now I play, 'Gateway of the Six'!"

Desmond's opponent knew, more than most, exactly what repercussions came about from the activation of this Card. Before his Challenger, a massive, ghostly circle appeared within the center of their Duel, it's interior augmented with it's definitive logo. Within it's center, six individual slots were present, just ready to be utilized.

"First, I summon the 'legendary Six Samurai-Mizuho!'"

It took just a split-second, before the female Samurai Warrior formed into existence, her Scythe-like weapons flashing before Kaiba's eyes. Her 1600 ATK, however, meant that she would require a little help.

"And, because 'Mizuho' is present on my side of the field, I get to Special Summon, the 'legendary Six Samurai-Shinai!'"

Desmond averted his gaze towards his Samurai Monster, gazing upwards, just as her Samurai counterpart barreled through the sky, landing alongside his companion, his club-like weapons brought to bear. 1500 ATK was what Shinai could offer, the combination of both Six Samurai attacks now promising a much bigger deficit of Kaiba's Life Points.

But his remained untouched throughout this entire duel, all 4000 flashing across the Arena's massive overhead screen, so to defeat him, and defeat him now, yet more firepower was needed.

And present.

"And finally," Desmond uttered, unwilling to allow himself satisfaction, not until his opponent was comprehensively defeated, "Because I have two Six Samurai Monsters present on my side of the field, I can finally play _this!"_

The Gateway, played earlier, began to shine abruptly, it's eloquent logo lined in dazzling light, before the entrance opened, ushering virtual smoke throughout the battlefield, the Warrior within making his way towards his Samurai with purpose, his enormous sword brought to bear.

The Great Shogun Shien.

His attack, 2500, meant that alongside his subjects, their owner would knock Kaiba out of this duel in one Battle Phase, handing him his first defeat since Yugi retired from dueling, ten years ago.

But this scope of victory wasn't enough. Desmond wanted Kaiba to remember this moment, for the rest of his life, scarred within his memory.

"To top everything off, I'll now activate gateway's ability! For every 'Six Samurai' I have summoned, I gain two Bushido Counters for my card. As you can see, I've summoned two."

Before the Duelist Champion, four of it's slots began to burn in the same illuminating glow as it's outer circle, presenting Kaiba with the final nail in his dueling career.

" I can discard two Bushido Counters, and one of my Six Samurai Monsters gains 500 ATK. I'm going to use this _twice, _however, both on Mizuho."

Desmond's Monster was suddenly infused in a powerful blast of light, surrounding her entire frame. Her Attack, too, be gain to dramatically increase, standing at 2600!

"You're a fool, and you always will be!"

Kaiba's thinly disguised insult would not distract his Opponent now, however. He was proud, far too proud to admit defeat, that's for sure, yet there was no way to prevent Desmond's three Samurai to attack directly, and the Champion had to have known that.

"My Samurai, Attack!"

It was done in blinding speed, such was the agility of each Samurai Monster, that Desmond couldn't tell just who performed their strike first! Kaiba, however, felt each individual strike tear across his torso, as he fell to his knees, his eyes wide with terror.

4000 quickly depleted to 0 in an instant.

Kaiba kneeled in the middle of the Arena, his ego depleted, his composure completely shaken. Desmond's Samurais stood tall amongst both Duelists, quiet in victory, Before fading from view, both Duel-Disks powering down, their task completed. The Victor, despite himself, refused to bathe in the opportunity in gloating, significant as his victory was. He entered this duel for a reason, and one reason only.

This was not an official match, so Seto was able to deny it's existence forever more, his professional match record, technically, still clean. It did not matter, however, and as Desmond marched towards his conquered opponent, his expression thawed, allowing himself one small crumb of satisfaction. This would become the only opportunity he would have to reign supreme over KaibaCorp's long-reigning president.

" You are never going to acquire these Cards." He began, dismissive of Seto's earlier threat, stealing the Six Samurai Cards for himself. "A deal's a deal. You make me one card, one card that I have 100% input on, which will be Duel-legal in any tournament!"

Kaiba, despite himself, took an unusually long time to snap outside his trance, his eye's looking out towards the distance as if they were covers in a sheen of fog. Once aware of his surroundings, however, he made his way to his feet, his greying hair especially prominent within his Stadium's lighting. Seto's Deck refused to change over the years, still resolving around outdated Monsters, with little to no advantage taken to replace his Spells and Traps with more powerful, more protective versions.

What Desmond had in mind, however, would eliminate this flaw within this Deck, allowing it not only to survive, but thrive, in coming Generations. Kaiba remained muted, still in shock over his defeat, allowing his Victor to list his demands.

"I want a halo Samurai Monster, Kaiba. One that will unify my deck, and one that requires a new way of summoning."

"_ New _way of summoning?! I promised you a card, Hatway, not an entirely-new twist to my game! I did _not _acquire Industrial Illusions for it to be exploited like this!"

"100% input, remember?"

Kaiba had enough, eager to leave his little nightmare before anyone saw him, his Duel-Disk still engulfing his Right hand. He turned to leave, his over-sized Black coat rippling in the outdoor air.

"Fine. What way of summoning do you have in mind?"

* * *

**Fifteen Years Later**

"No!"

It was too late to stop the attack, too late to think of something, _anything_, that could combat Barrel Dragon's rage, it 's focused blast delivering 2600 damage to my Life Points, rapidly crashing to zero in an instant! The one Card that could have saved me, placed securely face-down on the field, had been wiped out by my opponent's 'Night Beam', vaporizing it instantly.

I sank to my knees, reeling from the direct attack, refusing to believe the result that had occurred. Just before me, my Opponent, smirking like the overconfident idiot that he was, celebrated in victory, his Duel-Disk shutting down, relinquishing his side of the field.

"So that's, your thirteenth straight loss, Man, you're never going to get far with that deck."

"Shut it! It just needs work!"

I had enough. Enough of the sudden and consistent slump in morale, enough of losing over and over and over again. It was three days before Dueling Academy Registration, _three days!_  
And at this rate. I was_ never _going to earn my place within the illustrious School!  
I ran, shamefully leaving my friends, sniggering in the background behind me, no doubt. Buildings and Skyscrapers brushed by anonymously, of no attention to me, as were multitudes of People I collided into, refusing to slow long enough to issue an apology.  
'_I need to fix my Deck. I can do this. I can do this!"_

The Sun was shining high above the sky, and the buzz for the upcoming Duel Academy Registration was electrifying, all around me, multitudes of both young and old Duelists were scrambling towards their nearest Card Stores, hoping to construct a worthwhile deck in 72 hours.  
It wasn't going to work.  
Domino City ricocheted in color, reflecting the morning sunshine's rays in an abundance of Yellow, Orange and Grey, attempting to fuel optimism within me.  
It wasn't going to _work_.  
There, my home stood in the middle of the Boulevard, visible even through tear-filled eyes. I brushed past the door, instantly switching to stealth, tip-toeing up the stairs towards the salvation that was my room, ready to bury my defeat within my mind, ready to reconstruct my Deck.

"Ethan?"

Damn, not quiet enough, from the looks of things.

"Yes, Grandpa?"

"I need to talk to you, can you come down please?"

Chills resonated through my spine, nothing but negative scenarios flashing through my mind.  
What had I done? Was I in trouble?

"Is everything ok?" I asked timidly, testing the metaphorical waters.

"We just need to talk, it's important."

'Important'? Not usually the word used if one was in trouble. At least, not through my mind. I made my way towards the Living Room, my attention, as always, averted to the Pictures hanging in the Hallway.  
My Mother and Father, Desmond and Cathy Hatway.  
My Parents were Dueling legends, winning no less than _three _Duelist Tournaments between them, earning multiple records in the process. Throughout my childhood, there was nothing but respect for me, and my Parents, elevating me towards the 'Popular Kids' stratosphere!  
But since High School...I saw his popularity drop dramatically, on account of my Dueling skills.  
Or lack of them, it seemed.  
I wished they were still around for me, to help me, somehow.

Issac Hatway sat on a solitary chair, resting on only two legs, it's occupant as relaxed as ever. I moved opposite him, my eyes, more than anything, giving away scenes of nervousness and fear. I caught a Chair of my own, sitting opposite my Grandfather.

"Is, everything ok?"

Even from here, I could see a dramatic change in my Grandpa's expression, displaying worry for the first time in years. My Grandfather was the most care-free man on the planet, and this scenario removed every trace of that from him. In an instant, my leg began to shake uncontrollably, the first visible sign of worry. Issac noticed this, and sighed, clearing his head.

"Ethan. I made a promise to your Parents, many years ago, that when you were Fifteen, I was to present you with something, allowing you to make a choice."

The statement disarmed me, all signs of worry vanishing into thin air, replaced with nothing but curiosity.

"Your Father, Ethan, he has a gift for you. You can choose to accept it or not, but I have a feeling you will. You share your Father's determination, the _Hatway_ determination. I'll be right back."

Issac rose to his feet, much more quickly than a man his age should have been able to muster, disappearing behind a double set of doors.  
Nothing but silence took his place.  
Beads of sweat began to form along the my forehead, anticipation creeping in, despite myself. What was this 'Present' going to be, chosen precisely by my Father? My Grandfather chose not to mention his Son's name at all times, perhaps still not over the accident that occurred all those years ago, when I was mere weeks old. To talk about him _now, _it must have taken quite a lot of effort for Issac to mention him again, and the gesture spoke volumes.  
My Grandpa, finally, arrived within the room once more, in his hands sat a miniature, stainless steel box. He was presenting a _lot _of effort in carrying the item in both hands, almost as if the contents within were priceless, which piqued my interest even _more!_

"Ethan, I know of your desire to attend Dueling Academy, and hopefully, this will help you secure a place. Your Father used this to rise to the top, they're _priceless!_ Take good care of them, you hear me?"

I refused to wait any longer, despite myself, accepting my gift with relish, popping the container open in record time, my eyes widening with excitement, followed by shock, finishing with confusion, struggling to make sense of what was presented before me. Issac smiled, it would take a while before he would understand them, but once he does, he would be unstoppable.  
Just like his Father.  
I reached inside the container, plucking a solitary card from it's interior. In front of me, looking profusely deadly, was the image of a Samurai Warrior, dressed elaborately in Rossa Red armor. His Katana, serrated, no less, hung high above his head, an enormous battle-cry of defiance.  
But it was the _white _background the Monster was surrounded by, however, that confused me, struggling to catch any hint as to what it means. My Grandpa, unfortunately, was unable to decipher it's meaning, either, having not focused on Dueling throughout his life. For a split second, he quietly wished Desmond was here, just to explain to his Son what it means, this card.  
Unfortunately, Issac could only simply finish with a statement.

"Ethan, welcome to your new Deck, the 'Six Samurai'."

*...*

"Zanji, Yariza, Irou, Yaichi, Kamon, Nisashi..."

These were the names of my Samurai Monsters, they're backgrounds shimmering against my bedroom light. Streaks of color reflected from each Monster, as if imbued with an aura of energy. Each individual Monster, too, seemed to have a specific purpose to them, judging from the weapons they bore, but also in their stance. Yaichi, for example, stood tall and proud, the full moon echoing in the background, it's face covered with...a logo, of some sorts? The Samurai's bow was stretched, arrow in hand, as if he intended to strike, gazing at his invisible prey in the distance, away from the constraints within the card. Kamon, on the other hand, appeared to be the complete opposite, his smile visible within his card, wicked and deadly. Surrounding his armor, incredibly, was row upon row of deadly dynamite, his hand clutching yet another stick of the deadly explosive! One strike, and the Samurai would turn into the biggest fragmentation grenade in history!

Unfortunately, I had no clue, no clue whatsoever, scratching my chin with increasing frustration as the hours passed by, offering no answers for me. They had effects, every single one of them, each card surrounded in a flurry of Orange-Brown. Said effects, however, remained impossible to decipher, considering the only text that accompanied each Samurai card came in the form of it's Attack and Defense stats.

_'How am I supposed to figure this out? There's no text, for crying out loud!'_

Somewhat more confusingly, this 'Six Samurai' deck seemed to have more than Six Samurai, six _more_ Monsters present within their ancient container.

"Mizuho, Shinai, Kizan, Kageiki, Enishi..."

And the White-covered card, 'Shi En'.

Worse still, yet more Monsters were present within the stainless steel box, the heavy hitters of the archetype, it seemed.

"Grandmaster of the Six Samurai', 'Enishi, Shien's Chancellor', and 'Great Shogun Shien.'"

Each Monster had impressive Attack stats, much more powerful than my old Deck, with 2100, 2200, and 2500, respectively. Each of them, too, were tinted in the same 'effect' color of the rest. What they did, however, remained an infuriating mystery!

And that was even before I got to Shi En!

It was no use, there was simply no way I could figure out what each Monster was able to do, and I collapsed onto my bed, my mind wrapped around my predicament, more challenging than anything I had ever faced!  
Wait just a minute.  
I rose from my spot, peering towards the contained once again. The bottom was colored a faint Brown, it's texture starkly contrasting from the rest of the materials present within this Box. It almost felt like...

Paper!

I dug my fingers deep into the edge of it's opening, smiling as my fingernail was able to move the parchment upwards, freeing it from it's constraints. It was a letter, one that had been folded multiple times, it's creases particularly prominent against the faint inking of it's words. Thankfully, it's words appeared legible, as I buried myself within it's sentences, my Father's first direct message to me, me!

'_Ethan,_

_As I'm writing this, you are lying across from me, in your mother's arms, sound asleep. I only wish that we can remain a part of your live for years to come. I am writing this, because you are part of a special family, the Hatway Clan. Aside from your Grandfather, your family has produced three generations of dueling champions, and the cards you hold in your hand right now, was used within our battles, our defeats, and our victories. In these cards, there is a piece of us, in which hopefully, you can add your own chapter to our saga. Below is a description of each Monster, Spell and Trap Card, and their effects. I'm sure you've noticed Shi En, doubtless you've never come across a monster like him before. He is part of a new type of summoning, one that may not exist anywhere else by your fifteenth Birthday, I'm afraid I cannot tell you how I came to possess this card, but I can tell you that it was well-deserved, and that it is my own addition to this Deck. Another Monster, perhaps one you've overlooked, is needed to summon him, 'Kagemusha of the Six Samurai', take good care of those cards! They are rarer than almost anything else, and one is useless without the other._

_ You will need some time to get used to the Samurai's fighting style, but all of the hints and tips are present on this letter. Study them well, and if this is the path you have chosen, then you will become a powerful Duelist, I know it!_

_You are beginning to cry. I best look after present you, so that future you will be around to read this!_

_Take Care Son._

_With lots of love,_

_Desmond and Cathy Hatway. X'_

My Mother and Father...

I gazed at my family's Deck, the cards scattered messily on his desk, each Monster performing an attack within the constraints of their Cards, it seems. I brushed most of these Monsters aside, searching for the 'Kagemusha', the Card my Father promised was needed to unleash Shi En into battle.

The Monster that presented itself to me was bowed down, as if kneeling before his Master, the same, familiar logo, present in the background, cropped out of frame, so only a fragment was visible within the card. His 400 ATK and 1800 DEF, too, hardly suggested that this card was powerful, unlocking the secrets of the Six Samurai Deck. Below his Picture, however, primitive, Japanese writing was displayed, to the right-hand side of the Monster's picture. I consulted his letter, brushing past every English word, eventually coming across the same lettering, it's English translation beside it.

'Tuner.'

What was that supposed to mean?

It was approaching Eleven-Thirty, and studying these cards for hours on end made me tired and worn-out, my mind exhausted. I had to continue, however. I needed to understand each fragment and strategy these Cards possessed if I was to ever make it within Dueling Academy's doors.

* * *

"Ethan? Ethan! It's Two in the afternoon, your wasting daylight, get up!"

My Grandfather's words reverberated through my head, distilling me from my sleep, bringing me abruptly into consciousness. When did I fall asleep?

"I'm up Grandpa I'm up!"

"You better be, you need to study your Cards, Father's orders!"

What?

Yawning, I rose from his bed, still fully clothed, grasping my cards from the desk, placing them within their container. It appeared Desmond had written his Father his own Letter, from the look of things. The Living Room greeted me with the scent of Waffles and Syrup, as plates upon plates of the stuff graced our Table, igniting a critical sense of hunger among both occupants.

"Say, you wouldn't mind if I took a look at those cards?"

Isaac's request puzzled me, handing my Deck to my Grandpa hesitatingly, yet surely. Issac stared at it's contents confusingly, scratching his chin in deep thought.

"Hmmmm, never been much of a Duelist myself, but I've got to admit, I like the Japanese influence these guys have. These Cards any good?"

"It took a while to studying them, but I'm not fully sure about what they do yet. They all have abilities, they're written down in a Letter, but it's going to take a while going through every individual aspect of them."

"Well, I take it your definitely trying out for a place within Dueling Academy?"

"Sure am."

My Grandpa nodded, capturing a stray piece of Waffle in his fork, eating it thoughtfully.

"Well, your Father always said he wanted you to become a Dueling Champion, so this will be your next step towards that goal. Consider yourself lucky, Kid! I had to make due working for the Stock Market for most of my working life!"

"Wait, so the multi-millionaire is...complaining about working in the stock market?"

"Watch your cheek, I could cut your allowance!"

My Grandpa made his sizable fortune from a lifetime of work and effort, but he resolutely refused to allow his wealth get to his head. While he could live in a Mansion, Issac Hatway chose to reside within a comfortable, friendly neighborhood. Taking care of me was an unexpected task he took upon himself admirably, and we laughed in unison, closer than anyone I cared to mention. My dream, however, would place us hundreds of miles away, my Grandfather alone for the first time in years.

"You know, I can stay here, for one more year, if you want someone around for another while."

"Kid, you need to follow your dream, you need to seize this opportunity now, besides, I wouldn't mind not cleaning up after you every day!"

"Geez Grandpa, thanks!"

So that was that, Issac was happy to see me go, and I could fulfill my dream within Dueling Academy. But one thing before all this could occur.

I needed to understand my damn cards.

*...*

_"During either player's turn, when exactly 1 'Six Samurai' monster is target by a Spell card, Trap card, of Monster effect that could have targeted this card, that Spell/Trap/Effect now targets this card, instead."_

I had to admit, even without the 'Tuner' aspect, Kagemusha had a useful ability, one that could save me from a number of scenarios. Another Card, 'Zanji', piqued my interest, the monster performing it's deadly strike, it's entire body wrapped in confidence.  
I would be too, if I had his special ability!

_'At the end of the Damage Step, if this card attacked: Destroy the monster this card attacked. You must control a face-up "Six Samurai" monster with a different name to activate and to resolve this effect. If this card would be destroyed, you can destroy another face-up "Six Samurai" monster you control instead.'_

That meant no matter which Monster I cared to aim at, Zanji will destroy it, no questions asked, and I could tribute another Samurai instead to keep him on the field. I was beginning to understand, just a little bit, that this deck reached a standard I had never seen before, tearing my old, Pack-made Deck into pieces, running circles around any other Deck my friends sported.  
I needed to understand every individual card, so I could become a Dueling Master, just like my Father.  
I delved into more Samurai cards, their effects becoming more and more interesting with every Card. I picked one from random, plucking the middle Crd, holding it close to my face, interested at what I drew.  
Shi En.

"Ok, let's just see what makes you so great!"

My Father's letter provided the necessary information, it's text still holding firm after years of degradation. It took multiple reads, however, to fully grasp the Samurai Leader's Effect, not because it was so difficult to red, but because I had trouble understanding, believing, just how such an effect was legal, in any Dueling match!

' **(1 Warrior-Type Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner "Six Samurai" monsters)**  
**Once per turn, during either player's turn, when your opponent activates a Spell/Trap Card: You can negate the activation, and if you do, destroy it. If this card would be destroyed, you can destroy another face-up "Six Samurai" monster you control instead.'**

"No way!"

This Shi En was powerful, _far _too powerful, to be even considered legal within a match, needing only one sacrifice, to summon a 2500 ATK Monster, _with _it's effect? There had to be a catch, _somewhere!  
_It hit me, embarrassingly obvious, there _was _a catch!  
I had to summon the Monster in the _first _place.

'I warrior-Type Tuner, plus 1 or more non-tuner 'Six Samurai' Monsters...'

I understood now why Kagemusha was the key, it's 'Tuner' status fulfilling one half of Shi En's requirements, and it seemed, on first impressions at least, that the 'Non-Tuners' could consist of any other Monster I chose from my Deck.  
I consulted my letter, just to be sure.

'_There is one important thing that you need to know about summoning Shi En, Ethan. The number of stars your Samurai has bears a direct correlation on whether or not you have monsters that can be used to summon it, just read on, I'm sure you'll grasp what I say.  
Your 'Shi En' possesses Five stars, as you can see. Now, 'Kagemusha', as well as being the first 'Tuner' Monster, has Two stars in his own right. So you see, for the other Samurai monster used in it's summoning, it's star level must reach 3, so that 3+2= 5, Five Stars. I hope you understand, Son, because I do not know how to explain it any clearer.'_

My Father needn't have worried, I understood the amplifications perfectly. I needed two or more Monsters whose Star Tally equaled my Shi En's Star Number, in this case, 5.  
A quick look through my Monsters revealed plenty of level 3 Monsters, removing the biggest doubt that had eclipsed my mind, since I received these cards Twenty-Four hours prior.

"I won't let you down, Father. I will make you proud."

It was getting late, with only one day left before registration. I needed to win my duel, and win it convincingly, if I was going to have a shot with continuing my Parents, and my Family's legacy.  
It was going to happen, there was no _way _I could fail.  
I didn't have a choice...

* * *

**Duel Academy Registration Day**

My palms were sweaty, my nerves were assaulted with doubts and fears and worst-case scenarios. The Duelists around me, ranging from my age, all the way into their Twenties. appeared much more confident than me, some of them performing miniature, practice Duels, sharpening their technique, while many others watched. It was 3pm before we were allowed enter the enormous pitched Tent that was erected within Domino's City Center. I made it here by the stroke of midday, hoping to utilize my free hours.  
I guess I should have expected the entire population of this City to arrive beforehand, as well.

"Hey! Ethan, over here!"

My Opponent from a few days ago, Adrain, dashed towards me, his confident smirk refusing to budge since I dueled him last, much to my annoyance. "Don't tell me you're attempting to make it to Duel Academy! With your deck, there's no way you're going to do it!"

"Sometimes, just sometimes, I hate you."

My friend laughed, despite himself, finding it difficult to breathe from the exertion.

"Whatever you say, Pal. Hey, let's have a practice Duel, you and me, right now!"

As soon as he said this, scores of people, mostly onlookers, made their way towards us, surrounding us in an inescapable sphere, restricting my space. There was no way out, and no way to refuse my buddy's offer.  
But I wanted to save my Deck, unleash it when no one expected it.

"I'm sorry, Man, I'd love to, but you know..."

"Oh, I see, tired of losing to me, are we? That's cool."

"...You're on, Adrain."

It was futile to resist, Adrain was one of only a select few individuals who knew how to push my buttons. Our audience cheered, finally taking a step back, allowing us a wide berth. In an instant, our Duel-Disks were activated, the mechanisms fixing themselves into place, before our life points flashed into life on our wrists. 4000.

"It's time to duel!"

We drew Five cards, and instantly, I hit the jackpot. Every card I had hoped to draw, I had done so.  
There was something else within this Deck, something that made the art of Dueling so easy, and even though I had yet to play a card, an eerie since of confidence sunk in, eclipsing my fears. Adrian, unaware of my sudden epiphany, took it upon himself to go first.

" For my first trick, I summon 'Charcoal Impachi', in defense mode!"

It took just a split second, before Adrain's signature Pyro Monster formed seemingly out of nowhere, forming a defensive stance in front of it's Duelist. It's 2100 DEF, meanwhile, would provide a suitable roadblock for many a Duelist, until he drew more powerful cards.  
That was always his strategy.

"Next, I place 3 Cards face-down, and end my turn."

Three silhouettes, the reverse side of every Card, winked into existence, forming behind his Monster, forming an effective back-row.

"Time to see what your made of, pipsqueak!"

All around me, jibes and insults were thrown my way, the crowd reaction obviously biased towards my impassionate Friend. I sighed. As friendly as Adrain was, he was altogether too competitive when it came to Dueling, and I had yet to score a decisive victory against him.  
Which would end today.  
I drew, not feeling the need to announce my intentions, and looked at my options carefully, hoping to rely on a winning formula.  
Much to my surprise, however, I could rely on _multiple _winning formulas, my hand overflowing with options!  
I smiled, savoring the moment, savoring the day that I convincingly defeat Adrain Tomoshasi!

"First, I activate the Spell Card, 'Heavy Storm'!"

Virtual gusts of wind, slicing and dicing through the air, came abruptly into focus, and with it, it's devastating ability. Adrain looked around at the phenomenon, looking decidedly unconvinced.

"What does it do, exactly, I don't see it affecting anything!"

"Well then let me tell you how it _works, _shall I?" I countered, refusing to allow myself fall into the trap of overconfidence. My Opponent had Three face-downs on the field, meaning that any of them could activate to counter my Spell Card.  
Much to my relief, none of them had, and the storm picked up in intensity, instantly shredding the card projections to pieces.

"It destroys every Spell and Trap Card on the field."

_"What!?"_

Adrain, needless to say, was taken aback by the sudden revelation, his entire plan B having been decimated in my first turn. My foe flashed a smile, through gritted teeth, hoping to keep the audience by his side.

"So you managed to find a new card, big whoop, my 'Impachi' has more Defense Points than any Monster in your Deck!"

"Any Monster in my _old _Deck."

Adrain, once more, involuntarily stepped back, perhaps realizing the wave of destruction I could now unleash, if I so choose.  
Shi En, however, would cause far too big a commotion among the crowd, and to my Dueling companion in general. No, it would be easier if I waited until I was safely within Duel Academy's walls before I even thought about using that Card.  
But that didn't mean I was low on destructive Monsters.

"My first Monster will be, the 'Six Samurai - Zanji'!"

From underneath my feet, the space around me began to glow, slowly at first, before abruptly picking up in ambiance, tracing deliberate lines around me, until a familiar shape resided, taking me by surprise.  
The Six Samurai Logo.  
Zanji barreled from the sky, landing perfectly in an offensive position, his enormous weapon brought to bear. It faced my Opponent, more confused and scared than I had ever seen him, and _that _made me smile, just a little bit, enjoying myself.

"Next, because I have a 'Six Samurai' present on the field, I can Special Summon from my hand, the 'Legendary Six Samurai-Kizan'!"

Another Samurai Logo, and another Samurai Monster placing himself before me, his Jet-Black armor absorbing the light, refusing to reflect any of today's afternoon rays. His face was composed and serene, his Black hair allowed to flow by his cheek. In his hand, however, was the infamous Samurai Sword, the weapon of a thousand tales, deadly and focused.  
His Attack stats reflected this, as did his companions, as they towered before me with 1800 ATK each.  
But I wasn't done.

"Finally, because I have _two '_Six Samurai' Monsters on the field, I am able to summon, the 'Great Shogun Shien'!"

The crowd, surprised that I was able to Special Summon on my first turn, held a silent display of disbelief as I placed my final card beside his two subjects, eerie, virtual smoke emanating from nowhere! Seconds passed, and I was just about to question my Monster's appearance, if my Monster had suffered from all those years of storage, before an enormous, deadly Warrior made his way towards the Field, a mirage at first, solidifying more and more with each dangerous step. Adrain refused to hold his ground, placing himself further and further away from the Shogun nightmare, taking a step back for every step Shien initiated. Before long, he stood tall amongst his Samurai, his own Sword dripping in a Crimson aura, promising my Opponent nothing but desolation.  
He also had enough Attack to destroy my foe's 'Charcoal Impachi', at 2500.  
Not that he was going to attack.

"Zanji, attack Impachi, now!"

My Samurai obeyed, and launched himself into the air, far too quickly to be judged by the human eye, and initiated a quietly-deadly strike, sending a deep gash through his Opponent's seared body.  
Impachi, however, remained intact, remaining as it was, as if the attack had never occurred.  
My Life Points depleted by 300, falling to 3700.

"What are you _doing, _Ethan?! You could have destroyed my Monster with your Shogun, and attacked directly!" Adrain whined, holding his hand to his face. "You can't be _that _bad of a Duelist, can you?"

The crowd played to this, staring at me with pitiful eyes, wondering just how insane I was to attack with an underpowered Monster.

"I attacked with Zanji, because of his Special Ability."

Zanji's gash began to glow within Adrain's Monster, growing more and more substantial by the second. Soon, it began to overflow throughout it's entire body, turning Brilliant-White, as if it was about to detonate.  
Charcoal Impachi exploded, in a fiery ball of smoke and ash, much to Adrain's, and the crowd's, disbelief.

"You see, no matter who or what Zanji attacks, it gets destroyed, period." I explained, ready to initiate the continuation of my Attack.

Adrain had no cards _whatsoever _on his field, and the combination of both my Shien and Kizan equated to 4300 points of damage.  
Greater than my Opponent's 4000 Life Points, and he knew it!

"Shogun Shien, Kizan, attack his Life Points directly!"

My Samurai launched into battle, Kizan leading the charge, his Sword held at Chest-Level. Adrain could only stand and watch as my Powerful Monster initiated a powerful strike, sending my friend to his knees.  
But there was no time to recover, however, and the Shogun released his own attack strike, finishing Adrain off.  
My Opponent collapsed to the ground, reeling from the effect's of the Shogun's attack!

4000 instantly became 0, bringing this Duel to an end.

The Crowd roared in approval, heading towards me, unloading multiple and endless questions as I fought to rush to my Friend, hoping that he wasn't _seriously _hurt!

"Guys! I need to talk to him, leave me _go!"_

Adrain rose to his feet, brushing off the dust which had collected on his Black T-Shirt, unable to shake the sense of shock inflicted upon him.

"Such...such strong Monsters..."

He turned his gaze to me, demanding information.

"Where..."

"My Father, he gave it to me as a Birthday Present, a 'coming of Age' kind of thing."

Adrain backed away, slowly, scared.

"Back away, Ethan, don't come any nearer!"

"Adrain!"

My Friend was having none of it, tearing his eyes away from me, dashing into the enormous crowd, heading _away _from Registration!

"Adrain!"


	2. Chapter 2 - Initiation

Domino City was buried with people, walking somewhere, anywhere, and everywhere within it's Center, making my rescue mission more difficult than it needed to be. Not that I would have been able to catch up with him, of course. Adrain was far quicker than I was, and, because of the barricade this crowd provided, chasing him would be utterly, hilariously, futile. What I _could_ do, however, is travel towards his favorite haunt, explain to him how I got my Cards.

"I hope he's ok."

1:15pm flashed past my watch, still time to find him. But with the crowd as enormous as it is, I, _we, _should be beginning to line up for Registration, discussing how we would defeat our respective Opponents within our Initiation Duels. Why did he have to run?

There was only one thing to do, if Adrain wasn't roaming where I wanted him to be, then I would have no choice but to leave him here! I wasn't going to give up my dream to fuel my erratic friend's Dueling ego!  
It took masses of time, _far_ too much of it for my liking, as I dodged and dived past acres of Duelists, arriving within our favorite Card store.

'Dicin' & Duelin'

I closed my eyes, praying my friend was inside, and brushed aside the door, rewarded with the presence of...no one at all. The Store was empty. Even the Shopkeeper remained mysteriously absent, until it dawned on me, much too late.  
'Dicin' & Duelin' was closed today!  
1:45 winced into life on my wrist, panicking me. I still had to find Adrian, but there was almost no time left remaining to find him.  
I dashed from the premises, almost spearing an innocent bystander, too close for comfort, making my way towards another likely location, under the bridge towards the South of the City. Time began to slip ceaselessly away from my grasp, worries sent mercilessly through my mind. What if I missed Registration? What if I had to wait an entire year to try this again? What if I failed the initiation?, losing my Duel?  
I needed to find Adrian, for both our sakes!

'_Adrian! Where are you?!'_

My Dueling companion remained furiously elusive, gnawing at what was left of my patience. No matter where I went, no matter where I looked, he remained nothing but open air.  
When I arrived within my last remaining looking place, the Duelist, as before, was nowhere to be seen, my last drip of patience evaporating in an instant. It was 2pm, I had no more time to waste searching. I sprinted, using every last ebb of Energy I had remaining, rejoining the crowds ranks immediately, a single thought rebounding through my Skull.

"Dueling Academy."

*...*

"So...let me get this straight. You ran away from me, and I spent my time looking for you, only to find you lining up for Registration, without a _care in the World_?"

This was infuriating, impossibly manipulative at the very least!  
It seemed that my 'Friend' here quickly recovered from our little Duel, immediately making his way towards his nearest line, waiting patiently for the past half-hour. While I was risking my place within Duel Academy searching for the fool!

"You could have _called _me, you know? That little device in your pocket that you can use to communicate with other People? Why didn't you _use_ it?!"

"Hey I just picked myself up and ran towards the line, it's not my fault you assumed I 'ran away'!"

"Oh please! You were scared, utterly terrified of my Deck. You ran away from me like a coward, Adrian, don't expect me to believe you simply 'made your way to the line'!"

My anger towards Adrian was justified, yes, but right now, our line was rapidly diminishing, more and more People making their way inside Registration's Tent, taller than most Houses in the area.

"We're going to talk about this later, when we both make it inside this Academy."

"Whatever."

We should have never had that Duel. All it did was create a massive rift between us, something I had never wanted on the beginning of our Dueling journey. We had talked, discussed, and anticipated this moment for as long as we could remember, making up useless strategies, and spending Days and Nights thinking of what it would be like to spend our time learning within the Academy's walls.  
Finally, after can eternity of waiting, we had finally made our way towards Registration's entrance, excitement reverberating through me as we handed our Decks to the Officials, placing them within a scanner, Infa-Red Beams of light scanning our Cards. There had been a surge in counterfeit Cards in the past Five years, I couldn't blame them for introducing this measure.

Without warning, an Alarm sounded throughout our official's desk, terrifying me. With horror, I began to notice exactly what was causing it's activation.

My Deck.

In a matter of seconds, scores of men surrounded me, a pair leaning in closer, removing my Cards from it's tray, dissecting it carefully.

Before they removed Shi En from amongst my Cards.

"Hey!" I interjected, reaching for my Samurai Monster, only to have my action blocked by a stern-looking Man.

"You think you could have gotten away with this, Kid? This Card is so obviously fake it would have shown up on the even the simplest of inspections!"

Before I could stage a reply, his Phone vibrated violently in his pocket, forcing him to reach for his device, placing it to his ear.

"Yes?...but the Card...it can't be...I apologize, Sir. I'll let him know."

It took just a couple of seconds, but I could sense that the odds were placed overwhelmingly in my favor, and everyone overlooking my predicament knew it, The Official, looking decidedly embarrassed, faced me again, defeated. Whoever had called must have been his Boss. Meaning that he had noticed my predicament.

They payed _that_ much attention towards me, before I had even entered the vicinity? But then again, maybe they replied simply because of the Alarm, no doubt it's activation could be traced by whoever's running this instigation.  
But they forced their Employee to hand back my Card, despite it being one of a kind. Somehow, despite myself, I couldn't help but feel like something else was lurking within all of this, and I was hopeless to figure it out, at least for now.

"Alright, Kid, apart from 'that', your Deck checks out, this way."

I was gently escorted away from Registration, free to join my Friend among the growing group of People inside. Adrain, quite clearly curious to find out what had occurred, swarmed towards me in an instant, his eyes hungry for information.

"What was that Card? It was unlike anything I had ever seen before!"

"Not here, Adrain! I'm afraid these guys will get spoofed again!"

All around us, Officials surrounded a string of Dueling platforms, raised slightly from the ground, their eyes focused on nothing but me. A few of them must have received news of my commotion, as they turned their gaze away from me when my eyes made contact with theirs. Their reactions unsettled me, aware of every movement I made. I reached into my pocket, brushing my fingers against the stainless Steel container, thankful that it was still there. I was going to have to be careful. This undue attention was starting to get on my nerves.

"Over here, I can explain all this to you then."

My Dueling companion nodded, leading the way towards the Gent's bathroom, closing the door swiftly behind us. Thankfully, every cubicle was empty, no one in sight, no one to provide unsuspecting ears. I reached for my Deck, showcasing it's container to him, before opening it's contents, revealing my Samurai Leader.

"Adrain, I would like you to meet, 'Shi En'."

My Friend gazed at the Card for a long time, outstretched in my fingers. Credit where credit was due, he refused to reach out to take him, content with simply staring at my Monster, confusion spreading across his face, from the looks of things.

"The card is...White? What kind of summoning does this fall into?"

"There's no name for it, not just yet. I think I have the only Card of it's kind! No one is to know of this, I spooked the guy's running the show here enough as it is, I'll have to wait until we're within Duel Academy before we can even think of saying this to anyone!"

"Your secret's safe with me, Ethan."

" _Promise_ me that it is!"

"I promise!"

I was beginning to feel a little flustered, sweat pouring from my forehead, the stress clearly getting to me. I had only just got here, and already I felt like I had reached the limits of my endurance.

" You...said you got these Cards from your Dad? Is that really true?" Adrain continued, gazing at the other Monsters my Deck provided.

"For my Fifteenth Birthday, yes. He had this Deck since his own Father gave it to him, it's a Family heirloom. 'Shi En' was introduced into this Deck by my Father, though I don't know how he managed to do that. The only licensed Card producer is KaibaCorp, unless there's another Card company? Perhaps from overseas?"

"None that I'm aware of. Last I checked, KaibaCorp was the only official Card manufacturer in the world, after Seto Kaiba bought 'Industrial Illusions'..."

For the first time, I began to question just how my Father came into contact with this Card, and how he managed to obtain it. The mystery caller from outside, too, he seemed to accept that my Card was genuine. Could he or she have a role to play here?

"Could 'Ethan Hatway' and 'Avril d'Voir' make their way to Dueling Arena 3!"

The announcement, blaring through sophisticated speakers, chilled me to the core. I was _far _from the first Duelist to have been registered here, how could I be the first name to have been pulled from the metaphorical hat? All at once, negative emotions and scenarios flooded through me, allowing me to dread the worst.  
Until I remembered just what Deck I was using.  
My Father wouldn't want to see me like this, cowering in a Bathroom, fearing my Opponent before I had even layed eyes on them!

"Time to go and do this."...

* * *

"Good Afternoon, Ethan. My name is Avril, and this will be your Initiation Test. I wish you the very best of luck, and remember, have fun."

My Opponent was easily in her Twenties, sporting an elaborately curled, elegant ponytail, trailing around her shoulder, glistening in Black. Beyond her pixie-like demeanor, however, layed a ruthless determination. As a Duelist Official, it was her job to separate those could proceed to Dueling Academy, and those who couldn't step up to the mark. It began to baffle me just how many Duels my foe has had with her occupancy alone, never mind Duels she participated in just for fun.  
All this anticipation, in just one sentence.  
I was nervous, to the point where I felt the urge to turn, leave this Arena, and make my way home, my emotions barricading any hope I've had of making it to Duel Academy.  
But I had no choice. I had to do this, for my Family, and for my _dream._

_"_Very best of luck to you, too."

Avril smiled, brushing her hair aside.

"Let's Duel!"

Above our heads, two massive screens flickered into life, each screen dedicated to the both of us, our Life Points displayed towards the center.  
4000. Official Life Points total, much to my relief.

"Ladies first, if you don't mind?" my Opponent stated, smiling sweetly as she said so, drawing 6 cards. I drew my own, hoping to see just what she was beginning to play.

"First off, I'm going to play 'Swords of Revealing Light'."

Seemingly from above, celestial swords cascaded towards me, surrounding me with their emancipating glow. The powerful Spell Card flashed into existence on d'Voir's side of the field, it's owner grinning with relish, clearly not done.

"Next, I shall summon 'Big Shield Gardna', in Defense mode, of course."

Her Monster Card emanated into life, and rising from it's artwork, the infamous Warrior emerged, raising his Shield before him, his 2600 DEF nothing to be sniffled with.  
This was already looking tough. Adrain had adopted a similar strategy, except this time, even my most powerful Samurai Card was no match for her defense. I needed to think of a solution, and fast.

"I think I'll end my turn for now. Time to see what you can do."

So calm, so confident...

'_My move.'_

I drew again, mixing the Card with the hand I've already possessed, considering my options.  
No 'Heavy Storm' this time around, and none of my heavy hitters, either. Not that it mattered in this particular scenario. 'Swords' kept me from the offensive route for three of my turns.  
Unless...  
There! I had one Monster capable of causing some damage. It couldn't hurt to play it.

"First, because you possess a Monster on your side of the Field, and I don't, I can Special Summon, 'Elder of the Six Samurai!"

The now-familiar Samurai logo appeared, just before my feet, before a massive, multi-legged contraption arose into view, in it's interior, an elderly Samurai, his face partially hidden from view. My Monster placed itself in Defense mode, not that it could survive for an extended period of time. 0 DEF wasn't exactly revolutionary, but it prevented me from taking damage.  
My _real _move, however, was about to begin.

"Now, I will summon from my hand, the 'Six Samurai-Kamon'!"

The Elder was now joined by another member of the Samurai Clan, my Monster making his way confidently towards Avril, placing himself in an offensive stance, Dynamite ever-present in his hand.  
1500 ATK was what my Samurai could bring to the table.  
My Opponent, as of yet unsure about my strategy, folded her arms, waiting to see just what was about to happen.

"You summoned two weak Monsters for a reason, I can feel it."

She was sharp, though I should have taken this for granted. I wasn't messing with newcomers to Dueling anymore, it seemed.

"Your right, and you're about to see why, as I'm using Kamon's Special Ability!"

My Samurai nodded, seemingly in agreement with me, flashing the same mischievous smile present along his Card's artwork. It took an impossibly short period of time before my Monster leaped into the sky, throwing his Dynamite weapon directly towards Avril's Spell Card.  
It detonated dramatically, enveloping my Opponent in a shroud of virtual smoke, drawing involuntary gasps among the capacity crowd, rising to their feet in unified applause.  
Swords of Revealing Light was gone, and Avril was quick to ask why.

"How..."

"As long as I control another 'Six Samurai' Monster, other than Kamon, he is allowed to destroy one face-up Spell or Trap Card on the field."

"So _that's _why you summoned the Elder beforehand."

d'Voir nodded intently, her face shrouded in concentration, as if she was mentally reviewing her options.

My Samurai, however, would have no chance in taking down 'Gardna', and there wasn't a whole lot of options otherwise, either.

"I'll end my turn by placing two Cards, Face-Down."

Identical-looking Cards formed a back-row behind my Monsters, providing me with flexible opportunities to deal with whatever Avril decided to throw at me next.  
She drew her Card, nodding in satisfaction as it placed itself within her Hand.

"I play this, 'Sword & Shield!"

I knew _exactly _what that Card could do, and the repercussions it placed on this Duel's outcome!

"For this turn only, all Monster's Attack and Defense stats are flipped."

Gardna's Attack just turned from a measly 100 to a terrifying 2600 right before my eyes, stunning me with fear in the process. My Monster's stats, too, were reversed, Elder with 400 DEF, Kamon with 1000 ATK.

"And there's no prizes for guessing which Monster I'm going to go for. Gardna, I'm placing you in Attack mode, take care of Kamon."

Uncharacteristically for her Monster, Gardna rose from beneath his massive Shield, his arm raising the blunt weapon to bear, charging towards my Monster far more quickly than I had anticipated!  
Luckily, however, I had a back-up plan.  
I severely hoped I hadn't misinterpreted my Card's description within my Letter.

"I activate my Trap Card! 'Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!"

One of my Face Down Cards revealed itself, it's artwork displaying nothing more than an industrial Scarecrow, it's body consisting of nothing but useless junk. When it's form extruded from my Card, however, it became quickly apparent just how powerful it was going to be. The Scarecrow image was _huge,_ easily overshadowing Avril's Monster, bringing Big Shield Gardna to a standstill.

"What is going on?" d'Voir demanded, stomping her foot in faint annoyance. "I'm not familiar with this Card, explain what it does!"

I was only too happy to oblige.

"Once per turn, if a Monster of yours attacks, I can negate it, and I take no damage whatsoever."

Much to everyone's surprise, however, including my Opponent, 'Scarecrow' turned itself Face Down once again, returning itself beside my only other back-row Card! It didn't take long before silent gasps emanated from the crowd, before Avril gazed into my eyes, all friendliness dismissed.

"What, exactly do you think your playing at, Duelist!"

"When my Trap Card resolves, it is placed Face Down once more, instead of sending it to the Graveyard."

d'Voir shook her head, dismissing the very idea as nothing but fantasy.

"No, Honey. I'm afraid that's not how Cards work..."

"And yet, my Card just went Face Down." I countered, putting my foot down. "If that wasn't a part of it's description, my Duel Disk would not have allowed it to, don't you think?"

Seconds melted past, while the crowd was stunned into a collective silence, Adrain included, sitting surprisingly high up within the Arena's seating. Avril pondered the information carefully, before she appeared distracted, placing her hand against her ear.

"Yes?... Ok, then. Thanks for letting me know."

The Duelist directed her attention towards me again, sighing with discontent.

"It appears your Card _is _legal. Apologies for that."

"No problem!" came my response.

This scenario had clearly messed with my Foe's strategy, not expecting either of my Monsters to remain intact, my Life Points untouched.

"To end my turn, I activate 'Book of Moon'."

Her Spell appeared automatically, it's virtual outline suddenly imbued with a faint, mesmerizing glow.

"I use it's effect on my Monster, placing it in Face Down Defense mode."

Gardna's silhouette disappeared, in it's place, the reverse side of her Card, hiding the deceptively strong Monster within.  
That was a good move. Now that her turn has ended, 'Sword & Shield's effect has worn off, returning our Monsters stats to normal.  
This, however, presented me with a 2600 DEF problem. A problem that needed to be dealt with if I was to ever progress anywhere beyond this Tent!  
Let's just hope I was able to draw something that could help.

"My move!"

Of _course, _it's all so clear now! I knew _precisely _how I could destroy her Monster, and it all came down to one Card.

"I summon to my side of the Field, 'Six Samurai-Irou'!"

The Samurai logo duplicated itself, this time outlined in Purple rays, intensifying as my latest Monster brought itself before me, standing alongside his brethren. Irou possessed 1700 ATK, my strongest Monster on the Field, yet it was his _effect _I was eager to show off.

"Let me tell you how Irou works," I began, confidence once more flowing through my veins, the sense of ease I had previously experienced with this Deck taking center-stage within my mind. "As long as there is another 'Six Samurai' Monster on my side of the Field, and if he attacks a Face Down Monster. It will be destroyed, without allowing it to flip Face Up!"

d'Voir gasped, apologetically loud, nothing but Shock flashing across her pixie features.

"That means..."

"Irou! Attack !"

Wasting no more time, my Samurai charged towards his prey, his massive Sword unleashed. It struck the Card istantly, shredding it's outline in two, not even allowing Gardna a chance to defend itself.

"And now, Kamon. It's your turn!"

The Monster retrieved yet another stick of Dynamite, igniting on it's own accord. The Samurai unleashed it, landing directly in front of Avril's feet, detonating as it touched the ground.  
Behind the pillar of smoke, 4000 quickly became 2500, allowing me the lead within this Duel.

"Impressive."

My Opponent, recovering from my Monster's attack, gazed at my Field contently, nodding to herself as she had done earlier.

"A strong strategy, useful Face Downs, not bad, Kid."

_Why _did I get the feeling I had fallen into a Trap?  
Avril drew another Card, beginning her turn, and immediately, she began to grin, until it stretched as far as it could go.

"The first step in defeating you, dear Duelist, is by summoning this, 'Rocket Arrow Express'!"

From behind, a massive Portal began to develop, overshadowing the Duelist that activated it. It was what charged _outside _this Portal, however, that gave cause for concern, a massive Train, seemingly combined with what appeared to be a Fighter Jet, made it's way towards me, it's size promising power.  
I gazed at Avril's Duelist Screen, hoping to catch just what Attack Points this Monster had.  
My Jaw dropped to the floor when I received my answer.  
This Behemoth before me had 5000 ATK, _5000!_

What disturbed me more, however, came in the number of stars this Monster possessed.  
10 of them.  
Avril, perhaps noticing my apparent confusion, happily stepped in to explain.

"It's simple, really. I can Special Summon this Card from my Hand when I control no other Cards, so you really have yourself to blame for this one!"

I gulped, knowing full well that nothing in my deck, _nothing, _could stand up to the overwhelming Power this Monster sported. 5000 was as far as Attack strength can go when it comes to Monsters, and it looked like this match was over, far too quickly for me to stage a proper display.

"_But, _I'm not allowed to attack the turn this Card is Special Summoned, so I end my Turn. Best of Luck, Newbie."

More than anything else, the sheer shock of such a powerful Monster froze me into place, unable to even _begin _to decipher a move that could remove it from the Field. 'Rocket Arrow Express' layed completely dormant, as if no one was around to summon the phantom machine's excessive power. I knew that this was nothing more than an illusion, and that I was finished.

But wait...

One Card, only one Card, could save me from this harbinger of Doom, and even _then, _it would come at an _excessively _large risk. I had to seize this chance, however, and I drew from my Deck with as much fury as I could muster, sending my Card sailing into the air, clutched with the tips of my fingers. My eyes, almost unable to contain my fear, gazed at what I drew, hoping that it could provide me with my one realistic answer to d'Voir's Monster.  
On the face of it, it didn't,  
My shoulders relaxed, disappointment creeping into my mind, relaxing any ambitions I thought I had. If Duelists like this Official could master Monsters with 5000 ATK, then I had never come up with a chance of making it to the Academy.  
What froze me from my self-moping, however, came abruptly into focus as I studied my Spell Card more closely, recognizing it's Monster, the 'Maruading Captain'.  
I remembered what this Card could do, and I remembered the playful addition to it's description within my Father's Letter.

_'Feel free to end Opponent's hopes with this Card, Ethan. Lord knows I have over the years. Enjoy.'_

_"_I play _this, _'Reinforcement of the Army!"

My Ace.

"With this, I can search through my Deck, and add 1 Level-4 or lower Warrior-Type Monster directly to my Hand."

I wasted no time disconnecting my Deck from my Duel-Disk, quickly discovering the Monster I was searching for, placing it within my Hand.

"And now, I can summon, the 'Six Samurai-Zanji'!"

Irou made some room, just before his counterpart, the irrepressible Six Samurai, occupied the space, unleashing his deadly weapon, staring upwards towards the freakish mechanical Nightmare!  
I quickly performed the maths, hoping I could get away with this risky maneuver.  
4000 of my Life Points, minus the 3200 damage I was about to endure, left me with an 800 LP blanket, ensuring my victory.  
d'Voir stepped back involuntarily, her eyes frozen in shock.

"I recognize this Deck, now..."

"Zanji, attack Rocket Arrow Express!"

My Samurai began to dash towards it's adversary, maneuvering quicker and quicker, until he became nothing but a blur, stunning me with his speed. Avril's Monster retaliated quickly, charging malevolently towards it's combat opponent, colliding with Zanji with earth-shattering force!  
The ricochet of power sent me sailing through the air, impacting against the ground with a sickening '_thud'.  
_My Life Points took a colossal blow, dashing towards 800.  
I had no time to register the pain that threatened to flow through my legs, nor the Life Points I had remaining, however.

"I activate Zanji's Effects! I can sacrifice another Samurai to keep Zanji in play!"

When the dust settled. my Opponent's Monster was...gone.  
My Monster, in stark contrast, landed gracefully before me once more, landing next to his Samurai ally. In keeping with Zanji's requirements, my Elder accepted his fate, disintegrating into thin air, his Card instantly sent to the Graveyard.  
All around me, picking up in intensity, an ever-growing applause greeted the sight of my suicidal Dueling technique, a standing ovation beginning to form all around me. They knew, I knew, and my Opponent knew, that my direct attacks will reduce her Life Points to zero, finishing my Initiation. To her credit, the Duelist closed her eyes, nodding once more, her expression unexpectedly calm.

"Go. Do it."

"Right, Irou, Kamon, attack! End this!"

My Monsters made a charge for their adversary, her defenses completely wiped out. No time for hesitation, they initiated their strikes, sending the Official to her knees, her efforts expended.  
2500 fell to 0, handing the victory to me.

"I won!"

I couldn't believe it, especially considering what my Dueling Opponent had brought to this Duel, her powerful strategies no match for the combined power of my Deck, however.  
I was going to Dueling Academy!  
I took a bow, not knowing what else to do, grinning manically in the wake of the capacity crowd, cheering and applauding me as I made my way down from the platform, following Avril's steps towards yet _more _Officials, nodding in approval as I brushed past. Here, d'Voir reached for a sheet of paper, it's color tinted Red, handing the parchment towards me.

"Congratulations on your victory, Ethan. Based on your Dueling style, and your Deck, we have offered you a place within 'Slifer Red Dormitory', do you accept?"

"Of course I do! Wouldn't have came here otherwise!"

"That's the spirit."

My form, laminated and glistening, declared that I, Ethan Hatway, had been accepted as a Freshman within Dueling Academy, fulfilling a lifelong ambition, filling me with nothing but Ecstasy.

'_I'd done it!'_

* * *

... ... ...

'_So, the legendary Hatway Deck has made it's way here, no matter. there are procedures in place to make sure it will never win a single Duel again...'_

_..._

_..._


	3. Chapter 3 - Our Destination

Adrain sat by my side, observing the latest round of Initiation Duels, deliberating to himself. It was obvious what was occupying his mind at the moment. It had barely turned 6, and more than three quarters of the total number of Duelists had been processed, not many graduating beyond Slifer Red. More than _half _of those Duelists had failed, losing to the tactical Officials. So far, there had been no Monster which even came _close _to the overwhelming power 'Rocket Arrow Express' possessed, yet in every match, one Monster in excess of 2500 ATK showed up on the Official's side of the field.  
My Deck would need help when it came to these Monsters, it seemed.

"If I play this...no, wait, that's not right, what would happen if I play _this..."_

My companion was beginning to get on my nerves, although that may have been due to the possibility that I was impatient, waiting for my Friend to finally have his Duel. In my hands, my glistening Acceptance Paper was nestled carefully in my hands, reflecting the early-evening sunshine that was allowed to filter within the glorified Tent, imbuing it in casts of Orange, complimenting the Red overtones.  
Far below, yet another Challenger was falling victim to a well-thought-out Strategy by none other than d'Voir herself, her Deck more than flexible in ferocious predicaments. While her Opponent's side of the Field compromised of a single Monster, a Harpie Lady in Defense mode, Avril held on to a powerful Adversary, 'Gagiga Gagagigo'. The enormous, virtual lizard stood at more than Ten feet tall, it's 2950 ATK more powerful than perhaps anything her Foe could throw at it. It struck me how the Official may have been using different Decks for different Matches, perhaps they were in rotation. I was unable to eavesdrop in the casual talk both participants were in do doubt engaging in, before the Official raised her hand, obviously giving the cue for Gagagigo to strike! Her Monster obeyed, slicing Harpie Lady in half, shredding it to fragments.

"Hey Ethan?"

Adrain nudged my shoulder, far from the confident Duelist he had been mere hours ago. His hands were filled with Monster Cards, many others housed within his Folder.

"You've gone through this, tell me, was it as tough for you on the Field as it was to look at up here?"

"They're going to challenge you, yes. But I had to think about what I had to do before I played it."

"Oh, and you think I don't?"

Below, the unfortunate Opponent placed one Monster Face-Down, ending their turn immediately. It was obvious she had never expected to be confronted by such a powerful Monster, and her lack of preparation was clearly evident in her Dueling style.

"I'm not saying _that, _Adrian! What I was implying is that they really make you stop and look at all your options, because the most obvious cause of action may not be the best one!"

"You really think so?" Adrain asked, his voice braking slightly, bowing under the pressure he was in.

"I _know _so. You have a Stall Deck. You should use it to your advantage."

"But it couldn't work on you!" he countered, placing his head near his legs, as if he had been suddenly inflicted with a Headache. His Folder contained some of my Friend's favorite Cards, rare commodities reflecting the overhead color patterns above.

An Idea!

"Adrain, remember that Deck you used to run? When you beat me all those times?"

"Of course I do, no one could forget whipping your butt _that _many times...but that Deck was inconsistent, it wouldn't hold a candle in this Company!"

"Then how about we perform some serious Deck surgery, just to even the odds a little" I suggested, pleased as punch at my plan.

Adrain, unable to resist his curiosity, lifted his Head, gazing at his Cards.

"Just what _kind _of Deck surgery are we talking about?" He whispered, perhaps not _quite _grasping the concept just yet.

"Oh, you'll see, but quick, hand me those Cards over there, we have to get this done _fast!"_

_*...*_

_' Adrain Tomoshasi & Evangeline Wolfe, make your way to Dueling Arena 4!'_

Finally, after an eternity of waiting, my Dueling Companion's name was announced throughout the entire Registration Area, one of the final Duels of the day. It was 7pm, and the vast majority of spectators had already left the vast Arena, with only the victorious Duelists remaining. Adrain closed his eyes, his modified Deck gripped tightly within his Hand.

"Wish me luck, Ethan!" he whispered, slightly breathless, as he brushed his way past me, making his way towards his destination.

'_You got this, man!'_

There was no way I was going to sit here and remain unable to catch this upcoming Duel's action! As soon as my Friend presented himself opposite his Opponent, I furiously double-timed it towards a now vacant seat, directly in the front row, allowing me to catch every fragment of my Friend's Duel. Neither Participants, to their credit, took an interest in my upheaval, preparing themselves for Battle.  
It appeared I had already missed the 'pleasantries' in my brief journey.  
Adrain's Opponent was an elderly Lady, no younger than her Sixties, from the looks of things. Beyond her Silver hair, however, remained a ferocious competitive desire within her eyes, as if she was preparing to Duel with her life on the line! Even with her gaze diverted towards her Foe, I still managed to recoil under it's strength, unable to deduce just how Adrain was coping. The Duelist slammed his deck of Cards within his Duel-Disk, igniting his Life Points, displayed within the center of his own personal Screen. The elderly Official, too, placed her counterpart Deck within her own, activating her own 4000 Life Points.  
This Duel was about to begin!

"I'll go first!" Adrain announced, drawing 6 Cards directly to his Hand, starting his Turn. "And first, I will play 'Charcoal Impachi, in Defense mode!"

As in our previous Duel, Tomoshasi's signature Monster came into play, it's charred body covered in a gravitational Field of ashes and debris, circling it. While my Friend was unfortunate during our Match, I secretly hoped that 2100 DEF would be enough to keep him in this Match for one turn.

"And finally, I will place Four Face-Downs, ending my turn."

Adrain's back-row was almost completely filled with Face-Down Cards, presenting a dangerous line of Defense in favor of the Teenage Duelist.  
Or, at least, that's what it was _supposed _to resemble!

"A fine first move." Evangeline commented, faintly audible from my seat. To me, it felt like she had anticipated, even _predicted _this kind of move!

"My move, and I will start things off by playing the Monster Card, 'Exploder Dragon'."

Without warning, a large, deadly Dragon hovered into view, carrying what appeared to be a ballistic, Dragon-made Bomb! To the untrained eye, it's 1000 ATK would leave it's owner wanting in the vast majority of cases, yet I understood that this Card possessed a Special Ability, and one that made for grim reading.

' _When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, destroy the monster that destroyed it. While this card is attacking, any Battle Damage either player takes from a battle involving this card becomes 0.'_

In short, 'Exploder Dragon' was about to nuke Adrain's Field, clearing it of his only Monster.  
Until the Duelist kicked in, surprising me.

"Not so fast! I activate a Trap!"

One of his Face-Downs, right on cue, revealed itself immediately, causing me to smile mischievously, despite myself.  
That was one of the Cards I had placed inside his Deck.

"With this Card, 'Trap Hole', I can destroy a Normal-Summoned Monster with 1000 ATK or more!"

Underneath Evangeline's Monster, an enormous vortex opened itself, it's virtual Hologram utterly convincing from my point of view. It took a short period of time before her Monster was swallowed into the abyss dramatically, sealing itself in moments. 'Exploder's' Owner, however, couldn't have cared less for the demise of her Monster, gazing at the Cards she had remaining.

"A useful Trap Card, I place One Card Face-Down, and end my turn."

Her response was so calm, so dignified, that I seriously doubted that her Monster's destruction played any real amount of significance at all! Adrain needed to thread carefully against her. That Face-Down may be the one Card that could end this Duel.  
Adrain drew once again, knowingly viewing his Card with restrained emotions. Another tip from yours truly, never allow your Opponent to know if you had drawn the exact Card that you needed.

"I activate the Spell, 'Monster Reborn'!" he exclaimed with relish, sliding his Card within the allocated slot in his Duel-Disk. As soon as it's outline faded into view, one Monster was allowed rise onto the field one more, making it's way through the Duelist's Spell Card.  
The only Monster which had been destroyed within this entire duel, 'Exploder Dragon'.

"But that's not all, because I _sacrifice _both Monsters, in order to summon, 'Metal Armored Bug'!"

In a flash, both of Adrain's Monsters had vaporized, each one sent to their respective Duelist's Graveyards, before an enormous, powerful Insect powered into view, it's Steel hide reflecting invisible, virtual rays of light. This was getting intense, a Monster with 2800 ATK stood a _very _good chance of sealing this Duel, and a direct attack would inflict a massive dent in his Adversaries Life Points.

"Do it! Attack directly!" Adrain commanded, pointing directly towards Evangeline, his nervous energy getting the better of him. His Monster, in response, dashed towards her, about to impact against it's Enemy.  
Until it stopped, mid-attack!  
The Official, until now poised in a deliberate state of calm, allowed herself to giggle, just a little bit, before her Trap Card hovered into view.

'_Oh no...'_

"I activate my Trap, Duelist." she retaliated, not at _all _fearful of Adrain's most powerful Monster. " I take it you heard of 'Magic Cylinder'?"

Tomoshasi grimaced, knowing full well what the powerful Card could do, and what it was _about _to do!  
No explanation was necessary, as my Friend's Monster began to Attack, only for the onslaught of power to be _reflect__ed _on behalf of Evangeline's Card, the Steel-cladded Monster tackling it's Owner, unable to stop it's charge.  
Above, 4000 dwindled to 1200, more than _half _of his allocated Life Points wiped out in an instant.

"You charged too recklessly, Duelist. I now _also _know that your Face-Downs do nothing to prevent me from attacking you directly" she continued, her hand itching to draw upon her Deck. "Would I be correct in assuming you end your turn?"

"I do, make your move, Lady!"

"With pleasure."

Adrain was beginning to lose it, his nerves allowing themselves to cloud his judgement. I was unable to shout words of encouragement, unable to tell him what he should do, as this would constitute as 'cheating', kicking my Friend directly out of this Duel. It was up to him to win this Match, and that was all there is to it. His Opponent drew again, nodding with contentment as she placed the Card within her Hand, pausing to choose her next move carefully.

"For this Turn, I think I'll play 'Ancient Rules'."

This was a Card I had never heard of, yet it's very _name _was filled with menace, hiding what must be a powerful ability.

"With this Spell Card I can now Special Summon 1 Level 5 or higher Normal Monster from my hand." she explained, placing her Monster Face-Up on her elaborately-decorated Duel-Disk. "And I believe I shall take a leaf from _your_ Book, Duelist, and summon a powerful Monster, just to keep it nice and even for the both of us!"

It didn't take long before Evangeline's answer to Adrain's Monster allowed itself to be seen, it's entire body leaping from within it's holographic Card artwork. Most of it's body was covered in a soft, White fur, and yet, behind the cuddly facade, the Dragon underneath towered over it's foe with dangerous eyes, a Wolf in Sheep's clothing.

"Adrain Tomoshasi, I would like you to meet, 'Rabidragon'."

Her Monster unleashed a deadly roar, almost sending my Friend flat on his back, terrifying him! What terrified _me, _however, was it's utterly monstrous 2950 ATK, _more _than enough to dispose of Adrain's 'Metal Armored Bug'! the Official paused, perhaps for dramatic emphasis, content with staring into her Opponent's eyes, perhaps looking for something within.

"Rabidragon. Attack."

Her command was so civilized, but her Dragon Monster reacted with hellish fury, taking to the skies, before arcing gracefully to the Arena Platform once again, swooping down on Adrain's Monster.

"Not so fast!"

The response occurred _so _late, _so _unexpectedly, that I was almost sent into a state of shock, my attention focused on nothing but the powerful Dragon Card.  
Adrain stood tall, utterly defiant in his actions, refusing to give in to his Opponent's demeanor.

"If you think this attack is going to land, you are _dead _wrong, because I activate a Trap of my _own!"_

My Friend's Face-Down revealed itself moments later, announcing itself to be nothing but...

'_Another Magic Cylinder?!'_

Rabidragon was too far into it's Attack to be stopped now, it's body dashing within one malevolent Cylinder, exiting impossibly from the other! Evangeline nodded, as if she had anticipated this from the very beginning!  
But with nothing in her Field to blanket her from her own Attack, there was very little she could do about it.  
Rabidragon collided with it's Owner, sailing _through _her body, her arms outstretched in order to shield her eyes. Above her, her Life Points decreased dramatically, 4000 instantly becoming 1050.  
That was an amazing counter-strike! All Adrain had to do now was remove his Opponent's Monster, and he would win the Duel!  
Rabidragon, however, still possessed the higher Attack stats, and I wasn't sure if any Monster Card within his Deck would be able to stop it. Not on it's own, anyway.  
But this was the very reason we had modified his deck, so that he was able to deal with the challenges he faced, _especially_ a 2950 ATK Rabbit/Dragon hybrid!

"I'll finish my turn." Evangeline uttered, standing tall before my Friend, despite her disadvantage in this Duel. "I have a suspicion you do not have a single Monster which can defeat mine, so go ahead, Duelist, make my day."

The sudden insult, visible even from my modest distance, made Adrain's blood boil, the Duelist on the verge of shouting many and every obscenity he could think of...but reigned himself in, controlled it.

"Thank you, thank you for that, allow me to end this Match, once and for all!"

'_How was he going to defeat her Rabidragon? What Card's did he have in his hand?'_

My companion drew, before ceaselessly placing it within his hand, it's presence of no use to him, from the looks of things.  
Because Adrain had _already _selected a Card to play, sliding it within his Duel-Disk!

"To finish this Duel, I play _this, '_Card Destruction!"

"It does not matter what Card you draw, it will not help you!" the Official replied, impatiently placing her entire Hand to her Graveyard.

"It's not what I'm gonna _draw, _it's what I'm gonna _activate!"_

_'What?'_

Adrain stood tall and proud on his side of the field, dutifully sending his entire hand to the Graveyard, his Face-Down, meanwhile, brought itself upwards, it's artwork displaying deadly rows of thorns.  
Evangeline, however, knew full well what that Card could do, Shock finally making it's way into her stance, the Official stepping back in disbelief. Adrain continued, smirking in the same idiotic manner I was accustomed to seeing.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, my Trap, 'Magical Thorn'!"

Immediately, Evangeline's Life Points began to decrease, slowly, but surely, offering no clues to me in the process.

"When my Opponent's cards in his/her hand are discarded to the Graveyard, I can inflict 500 points of damage to his/her Life Points for each card that was discarded!" he continued, knowing that this Duel was as good as his!

Incredible! He had simply _bypassed _her Monster, inflicting Life Point damage directly! The Official had 3 Cards in her Hand, which amounted to 1500 damage.  
More than the number of Life Points she had.  
It took just a few seconds more before the number '0' was displayed across her screen, blacking out in the process, which officially brought an end to proceedings!

Adrain had won!

* * *

"I did it, Ethan! I can't believe I managed to _beat _her, y'know? I mean, I knew I was going to kick major butt from the very beginning, but when her Monster came out to play I freaked out! I didn't know what I could do to beat it! But then I remembered, 'I could just use my Face-Downs, and-"

"Adrain! I'm happy for you, and all, but _shut up!"_

We hugged, grimacing from the enormous pressure applied to my ribs as the victorious Duelist placed his arms around me, still swollen with pride from the onslaught of his Victory.

"She brought me over, and I got an Acceptance Form! I feel so happy!"

I felt happy, too, until I noticed the color that was present throughout his Form.  
Yellow.  
Adrain was placed in a different Dormitory to me?  
He noticed my gaze, glancing towards his own Form, and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Ethan. I guess it was just the Official's decision."

"No no, that's not what I thought at all!" I countered, blushing profusely with embarrassment. "It's just, I thought we would be involved in this journey together man, that's all."

It was a lie, yet I covered it up with just enough emotion to pull it off. Adrain nodded sentimentally, understanding my false predicament.

"It's ok, Ethan. I promise I'll be Dueling with you so much you'll be _sick _of me! I give that a week, tops!"

"But what about, when we're not dueling? We'll be on the other side of the Island from each other. We won't have the same classes as each other. It...it just won't be the same without you."

My Friend looked down, avoiding my gaze. He must have been trying to come up with some sort of response, something to make me feel better.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, ok? I'm sure we'll still hang out when we get there!" I replied, trying desperately hard to reverse this situation, smiling faintly when Adrain turned to face me again, nudging me on the shoulder.

"You bet!"

Disappointment washed over me as my Friend systematically joined the others in his group, occupying the middle stalls within the Arena. I dueled a _5000 ATK Monster_, and _defeated _it!  
Did I _truly _belong inside Slifer Red?  
It was becoming more and more obvious that maybe, just maybe, I was _forcibly _placed there. I was _happy _until Adrain mentioned anything! My fellow Slifers hovered around the Dueling Arena, by far the biggest group in the entire vicinity.  
I guess it was time to make some _new _Friends.  
All around, gazes and stares greeted me as my new Dormmates refused to talk to me, even a simple 'Hello'. Perhaps what had happened to me today had filtered throughout more ears than I thought.  
There seemed to be no other alternative when it came to communication, and besides, I had to call my Grandfather, tell him the good news!

'_Hello? Ethan! I was beginning to worry about you! How did your Duel go? Did you manage to get through?'_

Always full of questions, my Grandpa.

"I got in, I managed to get a place in 'Slifer Red'."

'_Congradulations, Champ! I knew you'd do well, Desmond would be proud!"_

My Father's name, used so casually, snapped me out of my disappointment, evaporating into thin air with the simplest of effort.

"He would?"

'_Of course! When your Father enrolled in Duel Academy he was placed in Slifer Red as well. He quickly rose through the ranks however, Sport, so you still have a lot to live up to!'_

"Rise through the ranks?" I questioned, unfamiliar that a Duelist was able to _do _such a thing!

'_Well of course, Ethan! There are semester exams twice-yearly, if you manage over 85% in both Practical Dueling, as well as Dueling Theory, you will be elevated to Ra Yellow, and from there, Obelisk Blue... That's what your Father told me, by the way, so don't blame me if the rules changed slightly down the years.'_

The Slifer Reds no longer interested me, their vacant stares all but forgotten. Instead, I averted my gaze towards Adrain, mingling within his new-found classmates, at the other end of this Arena.  
I was going to join him by the end of the year.

"Thanks so much for your advice, Gramps. Honestly, I was feeling a little disappointed that I couldn't grab a higher place."

_'Don't you worry about it, Ethan. You still need time to get used to your Deck. I'm no Duelist, but what I **do **know is that everything takes practice, including Dueling, you hear me?'_

_"_Loud and clear, thanks!"

'_So...I'll see you around Christmas, then?'_

I could sense it, the faint trace of sadness creeping into his tone. He put on a brave face, but he was going to be alone in his house from now on...

"I'll be sure to visit you whenever I can! Don't you worry!"

'_Alright, Sport! I've got to go so I'll talk to you soon. Call me when you make it to the Island!'_

"Will do. Take care!"

I hung up, smiling with relief from my Grandfather's advice. My Father was inducted into Slifer Red, so was I. Now, all I had to do was to follow his example.

"Hey, you. You're that Duelist with the Samurai Cards."

I faced the voice, and to whom it belonged to, stunned that someone had finally summoned the courage to speak to me!  
One Duelist, another 'Slifer' judging by the Red-tinted Acceptance Form nestled tightly in his hands, faced me with mild interest, waiting for my response. His arms were folded, a serious expression radiating from every square centimeter of his Body, from the way he stared at me, right down to how he's feet were positioned, ready to turn and leave if my reply was less than satisfactory.

"I sure am."

The Teen outstretched his hand, which I accepted immediately, his grip much more reassuring than I imagined. He allowed himself a faint trace of a smile, before it disappeared abruptly, returning to his serious expression.

"The name's Shawn. Shawn Maxwell. Nice to meet a Duelist with _talent _for once. The way you risked your entire Duel to destroy that Monster, that was 'Obelisk Blue' materiel right there!"

"Ethan, Ethan Hatway, a pleasure!"

Finally, _someone _who shared my opinion! It became more and more apparent that I wasn't meant to be here, nestled within in this group.

"I major in Machine-Type Monsters myself, so you could only imagine my disappointment when you managed to defeat the strongest Monster of it's kind." Shawn continued, freezing his earlier optimism.

"Well, I apologize, I did what I had to do, and all that."

_That _remark made my new-found acquaintance grin, already deemed uncharacteristic of him in my eyes. He nodded appreciatively, surveying the Duelists around us, each one of them having formed into a sub-group of their own, from the looks of things.

"While I can only appreciate the bravado, your little 'adversary' was little more than a 'scare tactic'." Shawn explained, his attention focused on someone else entirely, far off within the confines of Ra Yellow's group. "It had 5000 ATK, sure, but it was unable to attack the turn it was summoned, and during each of that Duelist's Standby Phases, they would have to discard their entire hand in order to keep their precious Monster in play. _That's _nothing but an inconvenience if you ask me!"

I followed his stare, unable to determine just who the Duelist was focusing on. There were too many People, too far away, to make that out. Shawn's statement was not lost on me, either, but what he said actually make sense. If what he said was to be believed, then perhaps I wasn't in as big a predicament than I initially feared, and my devastating attack with Zanji...  
While I still believed someone must have intervened in order to place me in this Dorm, Shawn's description of 'Rocket Arrow Express' meant that my strategy was deemed even more of a risk than I had previously thought.

"So, who was your Friend, up there?"

Shawn's question interrupted my analysis, bringing back to the prospects of the real world.

"Adrain, he was the last Duelist of the day. "

"Well you don't seem to be speaking very highly of him now."

"Well, I felt I deserved to be in Ra, at the very least."

"So you're jealous, huh?"

It was humiliating to admit it, especially in light of my Grandpa's words, but there it was. I was jealous.

"A little bit, yeah." I finally admitted, brushing my fingertips against my Deck.

"Don't you worry about it, just keep on winning, and People are bound not notice you." My new acquaintance replied, his attention suddenly disrupted.

" It's time to go."

In the distance, scores of Duelists made their way towards the over-sized Tent's entrance, forming a line, based on their ranking. Shawn nodded at this predicament, making his way towards the latest development, leaving me behind. I caught up with him, the only other person inside this vicinity who spoke to me. All around us, more and more 'Slifers' gathered their belongings, following us. There was a reason for all this attention, however, and I was quick to understand why.

There, standing tall and proud before us, was Chancellor Sheppard.

In spite of his advancing years, our new headmaster carried himself remarkably well, making his way towards us with fluidity. His Silver beard, almost invisible in the light, was by far the biggest indicator of his age, his face remarkably youthful and exuberant. I had read about this man, in multiple magazines, including the Academy's own published work. I had read about Jaden Yuki's time under his watchful eye. This man has seen it all, done it all, and remained the only man for the job! I had nothing but respect for him, and my earlier venom for my predicament disappeared once more. Sheppard surveyed his new Students, taking the greatest attention towards our group, smiling in an affectionate manner.

"On behalf of myself and our Staff, I welcome you to Dueling Academy!"

His voice, reminiscent in my mind from listening to his multiple interviews, invoked fond memories, reminding me of the times I would sit by the fire, watching the Headmaster give passionate speeches about his Students, his jobs, and mist importantly, Dueling.

"I congratulate you all on making it this far, but know this: Life within our walls will be far from the picnic many of you are envisioning. We are here to create Dueling _Champions_, to take themselves out to the World, compete in tournaments, and come home the sole victor! You will learn everything there is to know about Dueling, Cards, and strategies. You will take part in a number of semesterized exams, with practical Dueling and Dueling Theory. Most important of all, however, is that Dueling Academy will provide you with solid Friendships, bonds that will last forever, unified by a common interest!"

I stood in awe of the Headmaster's speech, my childhood hero just as courageous and impressive as I remembered him, within the small screen nestled within my Living Room. Sheppard continued, discussing the events that would occur throughout the year. Shawn simply stared towards him with a calm demeanor, taking in every single word, but without emotion. Sheppard to him was the same as anyone else in this room, it appeared. To the other side of this group, Adrain was busy discussing matters with a fellow Ra classmate, far too interested in his own topic to invest listening to his new Headmaster.

"But might I just say, on behalf of my institution, welcome to our community, and we hope that we benefit from your company within our Academy!"

A moment of forced applause occurred in the wake of his speech, before the Officials turned alongside the Headmaster, making their way outside the perimeter, arriving within Domino City's center once more.

"You ever fly on a Navy Seaplane before?" Shawn commented, walking calmly with the rest of the Slifers, once again forcing me to play catch up. " It will accommodate all of us, but it will be a roughly Two-hour ride, and it's not going to be the most comfortable experience of your life."

"Sounds like you've done this before."

"No, at least, not in a Dueling context. My Father was Navy personnel, I was allowed fly on one of these things during an Air Show, it was 'interesting'."

Great, there goes one experience I was looking toward to on this journey.

* * *

This was...uncomfortable.

Each of us were sitting within generic, cramped seating, the turbulence easily dominating our experience. My back complains against it's cramped position, 'uncomfortable' failing to describe my resentment. We had taken to the sky about an hour ago, and from my window, acres of ocean presented itself below, imbued in bright-Orange on account of the setting sun. Shawn sat beside me, glancing at each of his Cards, each individually secure within his binder, similar to Adrains.

"Should I...buy one of those?" I asked absentmindedly, gripping my Deck's container, and it's contents, within my right pocket. Inside Shawn's folder, scores of Machine-Types greeted me, industrial Monsters with various states of Attack and Defense. To my surprise, too, lied dozens of Machine Spell and Trap Cards! Until now I had never_ seen_ such a Type-specific number of Cards, combining to create a seriously focused Deck, no doubt.

"If you want. The reason I have it is because of the number of Decks I run." He retaliated, smiling as he noticed my impressed impression. " If your only running a single Deck there's no need, though your Cards would be kept in better condition in this than inside a Deck all of the time."

The advice made sense, and I took a mental note to purchase one. My Cards were obviously more fragile than most others, on account of their heritage. Without warning, the Aircraft began it's descent, diving slightly. Beyond, our destination beckoned before me, it's outline especially prominent against the diminishing sunlight. It's main structure jutted from it's natural surroundings, a beacon of Yellow and White, while to it's right, a massive Volcano lay dormant in it's wake. The spectacle was even more impressive considering that virtually every square meter of this Island was man-made, commissioned by Seto Kaiba himself! The Duelist was legendary, famous for his Blue-eyes White Dragon Deck, as well as his acquisition of 'Industrial Illusions' in the wake of Maximillion Pegasus's passing. My Father resided in these walls, and I was determined to follow in his footsteps.

'_You have arrived on Dueling Academy Island! We wish you the very best of luck on your experience here!'_

The Aircraft's Pilot took extreme care in landing her bird, the Seaplane gracefully skimming across the shallow waters, with little to no turbulence whatsoever. Each of us un-hooked our seatbelts, proceeding towards the Aircraft's exit. To my right, Adrain and his Ra Yellows brushed past, my Friend refusing to find the time to even acknowledge me! He ventured outside, disappearing from view.

"Don't worry about that. There's always a sense of rivalry within each group. Your Friend there is already getting the hang of it."

Shawn's comment, made as he calmly placed his folder within his Bag, disarmed me, caught completely by surprise. Sure, there may be a certain amount of 'rivalry', but enough for a Friend to completely ignore me, simply because I was in a different group? One by one, our Dorm made it's way outside the Seaplane's doors, arriving within the Island's very own miniature Harbor.

From here, many of the earlier Officials formed a line, ready to instruct each group on where to go, it appeared. I noticed Avril to my right, where all the 'Slifers' seemed to be accumulating. Having her as our very own Leader would be a welcome breath of fresh air compared to someone like Evangeline, that's for sure!

"You will begin your Modules on Monday morning, I have assigns each Group Leader with timetables for everyone. I would take this opportunity to allow yourselves to get used to your surroundings, make some friends, and prepare yourselves for the year ahead!"

Sheppard's statement meant that we had two whole days of free time, all to ourselves!

Perhaps unsurprisingly, all of Duel Academy's new occupants cheered in unanimous applause, the Officials leading the way towards each desperate Dorm, Avril gesturing for the 'Slifers' to follow her. As before, Shawn made his way towards the lead of the pack, brushing aside other Duelists, with me following close behind, slipstreaming along the path he created.

"You know, I would like to duel you tomorrow, simply to see just how powerful your Samurai really are." He suggested, smirking as he caught my reaction.

"You sure?"

"Of course! Besides, I have a new Deck that's still in development, but it showcases the most potential that Machine Monsters can hold right now. It would be an interesting match-up, if your interested?"

"Of course!"

I noticed that while my Friend was already busy mentally finessing and honing his Deck, I still needed to discover the full potential and power my Cards possessed, preparing for the year ahead wouldn't hurt. It seemed that my 'free' weekend had already been filled up,

"Say, who was it you were looking at when we were talking earlier, in Ra Yellow I mean?" I asked, hoping not to intrude, but curious all the same. Beyond our group stood acres of lush forests, a mixture of sycamore and evergreen foilage, as well as trace amounts of Seashells. It was unusual having both examples of different environments together, but it summed up just how close in proximity everything among this Island was in relation to the coast.

"Like you, I have a Friend that seemed to disappear within her own Group's superiority." Shawn answered, refusing to add any more to the context of his Story. I sighed, it was uncomfortable for him to discuss this matter, I should have picked up on that.

"Well, here we are!" d'Voir stated, her 57 'Slifers' having finally made their destination, Nome of them even remotely impressed with what played before them.

Myself included.

Beyond us stood a pair of worn-down, generic Apartments, with fragile, Rust-laden stairs. The windows appeared to be single-glazed, which was code for 'cold inside', while many of the exterior's brick-laden composite sported cracks, severe in some cases, All in all, it was not the accommodation we, I, was looking for.

"Welcome to 'Silver Dorm'! Our Official announced cheerfully.


	4. Chapter 4 - Red in Anger

**I'm going to add more to this chapter when I finish having a mental block, and college...oh college...go burn in hell for me...  
Hope you enjoy, and please review! =3**

"This is gonna take...some getting used to."

Much to my resentment, Slifer Dorm's apartments were as generically terrible inside as it was outside, rows of ordinary-looking, shabby furniture filling inside the main living area, filament bulbs providing the only source of illumination in this building. Avril gestured to the rows of doors that extruded themselves across multiple hallways, making her way calmly towards one set of rooms, her smile horribly altered, as if the gesture was the last thing the Duelist wanted to do, right now.

"Here is where you will be staying. There are a combination of 2-person and 3-person rooms available. Boys and Girls are to have separate rooms. Anyone caught breaching this rule will be removed from this island immediately, no exceptions. Your fridge has been completely re-stocked. I'm the person you go to if you require anything. I'll see you on Monday, Ladies and Gentlemen!"

None of us were keen in sharing in d'voir's forced enthusiasm, collectively sighing in relief as she exited Slifer Dorm's doors, leaving us to ourselves. Instantly, scores of us ventured towards the rooms, hoping to acquire the best this apartment could offer. Shawn instantly nudged me towards a room, his face impassive.

"We'll take the 2-person room, unless you have anyone else you would like to add to our party?"

I couldn't object. There was no one else within Slifer Red that I had talked to, let alone wanted to share accommodation with.

"Hey wait!"

Another Boy, roughly 13, 14 at most, rushed towards us, his face flushed in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry guys, but no one else is talking to me, and you guys look like Duelists who can help me with my Deck, can I bunk with you guys?"

His ash-brown hair covered the majority of his face, brushed aside futilely throughout his statement. On his back lied a simple, ornamented bag, noting more than a single change of clothes, it seemed. It came across like this Duelist was completely unprepared for the year ahead. Shawn glanced at me patiently, yet he's eyes told me exactly what he thought.

'If you want to decide, decide now.'

I pulled a fistful of the Teen's clothing, our newly-formed group making our way towards a 3-person room, slamming the door shut behind us. Behind our walls, many more of our Duelist companions did the same, quick to locate their accomodation for the we were presented with. The three of us gazed awkwardly around our lodgings, less than impressed with what was on offer. A large, steel-fortified bunkbed greeted us, it's single counterpart present directly across from it. Three drawers were present, at least promising us a hint of privacy when it came to our possessions. Other than our own bathroom, there wasn't much else in the way of luxuries.

"Say, kid. What's your name?" Shawn asked, placing his belongings immediately across the solitary single bed, claiming the only lucrative prize in this room.

"I'm Daniel. Daniel Watford. Nice to meet you guys!" He responded shaking hands with me unapologetically, stunning me in the process.

"Name's Shawn, over there is Ethan. Glad to make your acquaintance. "

He rushed recklessly, taking the top bunk remaining before I got a chance to lay claim to it. That was just great. I received the worst bed in the worst Dorm on the entire island. There was not much lower I could find myself right now.

"Say, what deck did you use during your Duel?" I asked, hoping to keep the stem of conversation flowing. " I can't say I remember you dueling today."

"I wouldn't blame you. I'm pretty terrible." He responded, Boeing his head with embarrassment. "My Deck needs work, that much I know."

"Let me take a look."

Shawn retrieved his new roommate's Deck, with it,s owner's permission, dissecting it thoroughly, a look of disappointment flashing across his face almost instantly.

" Oh dear...Well. first off, the positives. I don't know how you managed to obtain 'Gaia - the Fierce Knight' but I suggest you keep a hold of it. 2300 ATK is a decent amount of power. "

" Wait, wasn't Yugi Moto the only person who managed to have a copy of Gaia?" I asked, curious. I was pretty sure I held the answer to my question, yet here this Duelist stood, holding it in his little hands!

"Yugi Moto is also the only person to own a 'Dark Magician', " Shawn continued, revealing the powerful Magician Card before me, surprise genuinely spreading across his face. " may we ask, Daniel, as to how you managed to obtain these Cards?"

" You haven't heard? It's been 25 years since Yugi moto became the Dueling Champion, so KaibaCorps released a special edition Pack, with some of Dueling's greatest Monsters inside them! Pretty cool, huh?"

New Cards? For some reason, I began to feel a little disappointed at this revelation. Those Cards belonged to the King of Games, the greatest Duelist that had ever lived! To produce copies of them, for other, less talented Duelists to use, it diluted their value, at least in my opinion. But if they could help a Duelist such as Daniel, wouldn't it have been the right move?

"And is it just Yugi Moto's Cards that have been released?" Shawn continued, genuinely interested in this development.

" No way, other notable Duelists feature, that were associated with Yugi. Joey Wheeler's Cards feature, as well as Seto Kaiba's, but not his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, unfortunately."

Despite leaving the powerful Fusion Monster out, that still left the possibility of 3000 ATK Blue-Eyes White Dragon Cards floating around, their unearthing immediately strengthening anyone's Deck in an instant!

"How long were these packs released?" I added a question of my own, retrieving my own Deck, gazing at the powerful Samurai Leader within.

"About a week ago, but I was very lucky to get two of Yugi's Cards in one Pack!"

"Well, regardless of these powerful Monsters, I'm afraid your Deck just doesn't have the consistency or Cards to take advantage of them. See these Monsters? You need to replace almost all of them, Anything with less than 1500 ATK, with no effects attached to them whatsoever, make them nothing but targets on your side of the field."

Shawn's remorseless criticism of his Deck stunned me, though more than it should have. Daniel asked for an opinion on his Deck , he got it.

"Understood. But...I don't have any other Cards along with me right now. My Deck is all the Cards I've collected."

"Here, take a browse, see what you like."

Our roommate unsheathed his Card folder, tossing it carelessly towards our new Friend, almost dropping it to the floor.

"Gee, thanks!"

*...*

This bed was uncomfortable, not allowing me to rest in any permanent position without becoming briskly uncomfortable. No amount of tossing and turning remedied the solution, either. 2am displayed itself precisely on my watch as I rose from my sleeping quarters, retrieving my Deck, making my way towards the main living room. Daniel , in contrast to my uncomfortable experience, snored lightly above me, completely at ease with his new surroundings. I was jealous. It was going to take quite some time before I could sleep soundly again, it seemed.

"You're finding it hard to sleep too, I venture?"

Shawn held himself up by his elbows, not at all appearing tired or exhausted in the slightest. His tussled hair suggested that he, too, found it difficult to adjust to his bed.

"Just catching a breath of fresh air, that's all."

"Hey, since we're both awake, how about that Duel?"

"Ummmmm..."

An early-morning Duel? I had never dreamed in partaking in a Match in the middle of the _night_. And yet, I was interested in discovering the Machine-type Duelist's Deck. I had accepted that I wasn't going to find any solace in my bed tonight.

"Sure, why not?"

*...*

It was freezing, terrifyingly so, and I soon began to question the notion of this Duel, and why I was partaking in it. It was impossible, however, to initiate our match in the middle of the apartments, not without disturbing the remaining 50-strong Slifer Reds, anyway.  
Shawn appeared totally at ease, however, shaming my inner complaints, as he hefted his Deck directly into his Duel-Disk, bursting into life. I initiated the same, my Cards sliding in my own Disk with a satisfying _'click'. _Across my wrist, 4000 sprawled into life, representing my Life Points.  
A light wintry breeze became the sole observer of our Duel, taking place among the wide plains that enveloped this section of the Island.

"You can go first, if you'd like." my Opponent allowed, drawing his Hand, 5 Cards soon lingering on his fingertips. I nodded, accepting the kind gesture. I had a funny feeling I would need to take full advantage of this offer. 6 Cards entered my Hand, initiating my turn.  
And already, I was stunned with the wealth of options my Deck allowed me.

"For my first move, I summon the 'Legendary Six Samurai - Enishi!"

Directly in front of me, my new Samurai companion flashed into life, assimilating mid-leap, landing on both feet. His weapon, much to my surprise, was longer and more deadly than any weapons the rest of my Samurai Cards could muster, the katana extending to almost 2 meters in length, outlined in gold.

"And _because _I have a 'Six Samurai' out on my side of the field, I Special Summon, the 'Grandmaster of the Six Samurai'!

Enishi bowed, stepping back as a sign of respect, as yet another Samurai made his way towards my side of the field, appearing from nowhere with all the stealth of a Ninja. Unlike his fellow companions, the Grandmaster sported graying hair, a bionic eye replacing his own, owing to a terrible accident, perhaps. his 2100 ATK strength, however, made him a difficult Monster to overcome, especially as it was summoned during my opening turn!

"I'm going to end with a Face-Down, your move."

"Thank you."

My adversary drew once more, nodding appreciatively at his Hand, satisfied.  
This could not be a good sign. My Monsters would be difficult to overcome, with my Face-Down providing an additional blanket support. If anything, my foe should be frowning in frustration!  
And yet he wasn't.

To start, I'm going to summon my 'Mecha Tech Phantom Beast - Tetherwolf'."

Far above, virtually hovering over us, a large Helicopter formed into life, towering over us. It's 'face', however, resembled anything but a Helicopter, featuring the snarling impression of a Wolf, it's fangs brought to bear.

"Here's how Tetherwolf works, because I Normal-Summoned it to my side of the Field, I'm allowed to Special Summon 1 "Mecha Phantom Beast Token"."

Beside it's counterpart, a miniature version of Tetherwolf was brought into life, 0 ATK flashing below it.  
I began to suspect that this Token wasn't going to hang around for much longer, though.

"Next, I'll use my Mecha Phantom's Special Ability. During the Damage Step of _either_ player's turn, if this card battles an opponent's monster: I can Tribute 1 Token once per battle; and Tetherwolf here gains 800 ATK, until the End Phase."

Shawn's Monster targeted my Grandmaster, it's eyes glowing manically. Beside it, the Token disappeared, fulfilling Tetherwolf's requirements. Soon, the Monster was bathed in a irrepressible Yellow glow, it's Attack spiraling from 1700 to an altogether-more-destructive 2500!

"Take care of Grandmaster."

From nowhere, without any time to prepare for it's attack, a salvo of ballistic missiles extruded from my foe's Monster, every single one of them making their way towards the Six Samurai Grandmaster. They detonated instantly, shrouding the entire Field in an array of virtual smoke.  
My Life Points dwindled from 4000 to 3600.  
My Monster was gone, leaving only Enishi behind.

"I'm going to end by placing 3 Cards Face-Down. Make your move."

Inside, I was beginning to feel nervous, the terrifying chill of the night's breeze catching up with me. In just one turn, Shawn had managed to produce a Monster which could manage 2500 ATK! I was going to have to think about my strategy if I was going to defeat him.  
I drew my next Card, unable to astern it's effectiveness immediately, placing it within my hand. Carefully, I reviewed every option I had.

"Before you make your move, Ethan, I activate my Traps."

Before him, 2 of Shawn's Face-Downs revealed themselves, identically facing me.

"With 'Aerial Recharge', I am allowed summon 1 Mecha Phantom Beast Token, and seeing as I have two, it only benefits myself even more."

In a flash, two more miniature copies of Tetherwolf appeared before their owner, quietly confident since this Match began! The temperature only seemed to dwindle throughout this ordeal, my teeth chattering willingly in response. This was bad news. With 2 tokens out on the field, Shawn was free to use his Mecha Phantom's effect once more, even during my turn. Right now, I had no monster in my hand that could eliminate it.  
So I was going to have to become tactical.

"I summon 'The Six Samurai - Yaichi! In Attack Mode!"

My monster appeared in a flash, barreling towards my side of the field, landing on both feet with all the agility of a Ninja. Below them, the ever-present logo appeared, marking the Samurai's presence. I was going to have to break apart Shawn's defense somehow, one little step at a time. Even without my reactions, Yaichi raised his deadly bow, coated in light, aiming squarely towards my adversary's Face-Down.

"Because I have a 'Six Samurai' on my side of the field, Yaichi is able to destroy 1 Spell or Trap Face-Down Card." I explained, satisfied.

Yaichi unloaded his weapon, the arrow cascading towards the exclusionary Card, striking it within it's very center. Milliseconds later, it detonated, an explosive charge no doubt coating it's tip, taking my target along with it. Yaichi made his way towards Enishi, placing himself beside his comrade.

"Next, I activate, 'Cunning of the Six Samurai'! I can send 1 'Six Samurai to the grave, and Special Summon _another _from the same place!'

Yaichi bowed, the logo below him swallowing him up, removing my Monster from action.  
Only to allow my Grandmaster to leap from the same design, occupying his comrade's space!

"Why?"

Shawn appeared puzzled, showing signs of emotion for the first time throughout this Duel. He was trying to wrap his head around my tactic, trying to grasp what I was going to do.  
Unfortunately, there was nothing else I _could _do.  
His question seriously made me think about what I just did. Sure, Yaichi had 1300 ATK, far below what my opponent's Monster could produce, even without his effect, but then again, neither Samurai standing before me could hope to defeat Tetherwolf in battle either. Maybe I should have played it safer, placed my existing Monsters into Defense position.  
I had made a tactical error, and wasted a valuable Card in the process!  
'_Damn it!'_

"I need my Grandmaster in play." I lied, hoping to bluff my way through my error. "You're going to find out why next turn!"

"Ethan, there won't _be _a next turn."

More than anything else, and for the first time since dueling with my Samurai Deck, I began to feel the familiar sense of fear, like I knew I was working with borrowed time. Could this Duel be over already?

"My move." My foe proclaimed, swiping another Card from his Duel-Disk, smiling as he did so. "Allow me to introduce to you, the Field Spell, 'Fusion Gate'."

All around us, the quiet, brisk breeze disappeared, alongside the entire island it was racing through, instead filled with an abnormal backdrop, Purple flickering through the sky, the surrounding plains barren. Before me, Shawn placed 3 Cards directly to the Graveyard, appreciating every one sent there.

"With this Card, both of us can Fusion Summon at will, but we must send banish our Fusion Material Monsters to the Grave instead of sending them to the Graveyard."

Above us, a vortex flickered into life, it's dark glow emanating to the battlefield below. I had absolutely no idea what Monsters he had removed from play, nor the Fusion Monster he was about to summon.  
I soon received my answer.  
The void deposited a single Monster, though I had initially mistook it to be _three, _each mechanical head snarling and screaming at nothing but me. I knew what this Monster was, and I also knew that this Match was as good as over.

"Ethan, please give a warm welcome to 'Cyber End Dragon'."

4000 ATK. 4000 ATK was what my Monsters had to contend with, nothing but air and prayers between them and their furious adversary. I only had one Card, and one Card only, that would allow me to stay in this Match, and it was nestled safely Face-Down, should Shawn choose to attack me. The Duelist was bound to, of course, so it appeared that the odds were definitely in my favor, despite appearances.

"Next, I activate, 'Limiter Removal'."

His Spell Card hovered into view, immediately imbuing Cyber End Dragon in a wickedly Purple glow...making it grow even _larger _than before! I could only watch in terror, in pure, unadulterated terror, as Shawn's most powerful Monster _doubled _in size, occupying most of the Field, my entire field of vision eclipsed by it's Steel hide.

"With 'Removal, my Monsters ATK doubles, to a grand total of 8000!"

Cyber End Dragon was savage, as if it could barely contain it's fury, just _waiting _for the order to attack!

"Do it."

Far too quick for me to anticipate, the behemothly-powerful Monster unleashed hell, a trio of fiery destruction making their way towards the weaker of my two Samurai, Enishi.  
Which was _exactly _how I wanted it.

"I activate my Trap, 'Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!'"

My signature Trap Card hovered into view, it's effect activating instantly.  
Until Shawn decided to retaliate, much to my dismay!

"Not so fast, I'm afraid. I play from my hand, 'Forbidden Lance'."

Immediately, my enemy placed his Spell Card in it's allocated slot, immediately forming into life on our battlefield. I knew what it could do, having experienced it's effects in more Duels than I could care to mention. _Now, _however, it's appearance knocked the wind from my chest, all sense of hope abandoned.

'_Target 1 face-up monster on the field; until the End Phase, it loses 800 ATK, but is unaffected by the effects of other Spell/Trap Cards.'_

Cyber End Dragon's attack simply bypassed my Trap Card, continuing it's coarse towards it's target. Enishi closed his eyes, accepting his fate, before becoming nothing more than dust and echoes, disintegrated in the wake of it's opponent's attack. 'Forbidden Lance' had reduced 'Dragon's ATK by 800, but still left it with 7200, more than enough.  
My Life Points disappeared in a flash, instantly reduced to 0 in the wake of Shawn's attack.  
I fell to my knees, assaulted with the same sense of disappointment that I had experienced time and time again, dueling, and losing, to everyone I knew in Domino City. Involuntarily, tears began to flow down my cheek, pooling from my chin. Shawn made his way casually towards me, kneeling alongside me, puzzled.

"Why are you crying?"

"Because I lost!"

"And you take it _that _personally?"

I couldn't understand. Maybe it was the words, or the way the Duelist kneeling before me _said _them, but they instantly retracted my feelings, all sense of desperation and despair vanished...replaced with a deep grasp of humiliation.

"I'm...I'm sorry, for acting like this, over a stupid _loss!"_

_"_It's fine. In fact, I used to be like that, too, always losing, always thinking I could never improve." he responded with a smile, holding out his hand. I accepted it, pulling me up with a deceptively powerful grip. "Let's head back to our room, I can discuss just how to improve your Deck if I got the chance to get a good look at them properly."

"I would like that."

* * *

"Get up! We have a big day ahead of us."

"But...but it's _Saturday! _Can't we sleep in?"

Daniel rubbed his eyes, venturing from his bed unwillingly. First impressions dictated that we wasn't accustomed to productive weekends, from the looks of things. Shawn, however, was having none of it.

"We have to get a good start to our Dueling Academy campaign if we want to progress to Ra Yellow and Obelisk Blue. If you wanted to chill hear for the entire duration of your stay, I'm afraid you ventured towards the wrong roommate."

Beyond this heated debate, I rose from underneath my sheets, crossing my legs into position, examining my Cards. Our Duel from earlier in the morning was still fresh in my mind, and any trace of exhaustion was replaced with determination, to get my Deck tuned for our first official day within Duel Academy. I counted my Cards, for the first time noticing that it encompassed more visible mass compared to both Shawn and Daniel's Decks.  
I had 55 of them, worryingly close to the official maximum of Cards I was allowed to carry within official Dueling guidelines. Even _more _intriguing, however, was the multiple copies of Samurai Monsters I held in my hand. Copies of Cards were common, to be sure, but this was my Father's Deck, handed down throughout at least two more generations before him! Copies just didn't occur to me, at least until now. Once again, m Father's note was acquired from within my Deck's container, attempting to find an explanation for this, if I was to use every single Card in my Deck, or otherwise.  
Sadly, no such explanation existed.

"We can get a new roommate, Daniel! And I want to see just how powerful your Cards are, so get dressed! On the double!"

It was quietly amusing just how...motivating this Duelist could be, as if he was introducing the unfortunate teen to a new way of life, whether he wanted to accept it or not.

"I'm going to sleep! And you can't make me change my mind!"

I was hungry, and I wasn't in the mood to witness this spectacle any longer. I made my way to the door, disappearing from their view.

*...*

The chance to explore Slifer Red's surroundings offered a refreshing change of pace, no longer confined towards our cramped sleeping quarters. Bursts of sunlight filtered through dense forest branches, casting pillars of light all across the massive plain that expanded behind our Apartments. Other Duelists, too, immediately took advantage, some resting against a tree, others participating in Duels, trading blows with each other, to various different degrees of success.  
There, in the distance, a 'Man-Eater Bug' had suddenly appeared from view, it's deadly effect activating, no doubt.  
And directly opposite us, a pair were locked in what appeared to be a never-ending stalemate, with 'Marshmallon' and ' Swords of Revealing Light' preventing that Duel from finishing anytime soon.  
I made a mental note to call my uncle, soon. He would want to know how I was getting along on my first day.  
Daniel appeared nervous, every movement he made just screaming '_timid'. _He mustn't have expected to have progressed this far, from the looks of things, or maybe he was just intimidated by the amount of potential Opponents that littered the immediate area. I had to admit, as we passed dozens of Duelists, that I felt that same concern, my defeat still fresh in my mind. I needed to adjust my Deck, and I couldn't duel anyone until that was done.

"Over here, somewhere where we can relax and make out our plan for today." Shawn commented, pointing towards the only free space available to us, unmolested by ravaging Duelists.


End file.
